Day 66 (Back/Biceps) Injury II report!

Finished Back and Biceps...essentially a bunch of pull ups and curls.  I was able to increase weight on a number of exercises.  I may actually have to buy more weight...I am doing 50 pounds on lawnmowers and it isn't enough.

But I am feeling a lot of lower back strain.  I first felt this during my last Core workout last Monday.  There is an exercise where you mimic picking up an object on one side and setting it up on a shelf on the other over and over again.  I was feeling a little bit in my back during the exercise, but I attributed it to the normal "burn" you feel in muscles while doing a routine.  Well, perhaps you don't want that "burn" in your lower back.  I think I made it worse on Thursday doing tricep exercises.  I mentioned this on Thursday's blog (day 65) that there is no reason to stand during those exercises as it puts unnecessary strain on the back.

It isn't serious, but enough to make me sore quite a bit...and enough to say screw doing Core during the normal weeks.  I'm going back to the normal schedule of having Kenpo on there until my back feels better.

Day 65 (Plyo) The best so far...

Finished Plyo today and did the best I've ever done.  Forgive me if I've already stated this in previous blogs, but 90% of getting through Plyo is psychological.  If you can mentally break down the workout into the six sections it contains, it won't seem like an endless stream of exercises designed to kill you.

In my case, getting through the first and second sections is the hardest.  I don't have a problem with the jumping that happens in the next several sections, but the first two contain a lot of crouching/squatting that really tires the legs out quickly.  I consider those the hardest and I'm not able to get down and touch the ground by the end of them.  Each section has two exercises that I consider almost breaks because they are easier on the legs.  If you are aware of where these breaks are, you can mentally prepare for them and prevent yourself from giving up during the harder exercises.

Day 64 (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps) Just sit down!

Finished Chest/Shoulders/Triceps yesterday and I've learned the lesson to sit down several weeks too late.  What I am talking about is many of the weights-over-the-head exercises (tricep extensions and shoulder presses).  I have been struggling with some of these because it is awkward trying to stand while moving the weights around above your head.  I've thought about it and talked with others and determined there is no reason to stand during some of these exercises.  In fact, standing takes your focus away from where you really need your energy.  I wish I would have learned this six weeks ago as I could have pushed much harder and been much easier on my back for the past five times I did this workout.

Another lesson I've learned is to pause the DVD during many of the maximum rep exercises.  I am commonly doing push up variations far past the time they do on the DVD.  I'll automatically stop because I've used up the allotted time.  However, I've started pausing the DVD at the beginning of the exercise and then do my max reps.  I'm actually doing this on other exercises that aren't max reps so I can really focus on what I am doing without being distracted by either the pace or banter on the DVD.  I'm not criticizing the program...the pacing and banter was really useful early on.  I just feel like I've moved past much of it and can do this stuff on my own better.

I am really learning how it feels to push yourself to exhaustion.  When I first started the program, I would go until I really thought I was exhausted.  Later on, I learned how to push past that point to REAL exhaustion...like when the muscle isn't just uncomfortable but literally will not operate any more.  Specifically, it seems like push ups do this for me.  It is actually an awesome feeling powering through past what I thought my limits were.

Day 62 (Legs/Back) Oh...its about balance

Yesterday I completed Legs and Back.  Because of the P90X schedule, I haven't done this in two weeks.

One of the benefits of blogging all these workouts is that I can see patterns.  And one pattern is that I never feel good about this workout after it is finished.  Many of the P90X workouts are hard...in that it is hard to lift heavy weights or do it over and over again without becoming exhausted.  Other P90X workouts are difficult...in that it is difficult to actually do the routine because of balance or coordination.  I now realize why I'm so bummed about Legs and Back...because it is both hard AND difficult.

My biggest problem is all the different types of lunges.  It takes a lot of focus to conquer exhaustion and get through them.  Then you combine that with the difficulty in balancing in such a low lunge.  I talked with a friend a work and it seems like P90X lunges are a little odd in that they maintain a straight back leg.  This makes balancing a real problem for me.  I even have problems keeping balance in the warmup lunges.  My issue is really trying to find my center of balance.  Should I balance my weight on my front leg?  This would seem to be the best way to keep balance.  However, this means that your hips aren't necessarily square and pointing forwards...you are more pointed toward the forward knee.  This is a big no-no in Yoga where you are supposed to square yourself straight forward.  In reading this, it really sounds like I am over thinking, but what else am I supposed to do when I can't seem to keep balance?

I think I'll pop in the DVD over the next few days and really look at the form they are using during the lunges.

Even with this problem, I did OK I guess.  I had a chair beside me for balance and really tried to minimize using it.  I was able to do a decent number of pull ups without a chair before having to resort to one.  I did have to make a few breaks slightly longer as I caught my breath...my cardio seems to be suffering somewhat.  I didn't want to do this, but if I didn't take a short break, I knew my performance would seriously suffer.

Day 61 (Core) Mixing up the schedule and fading magic

Today was my first experiment in improving the P90X schedule.  Kenpo is done weekly, but I find it way too easy of a cardio workout and although there is some balance work through the minimal amount of kicking during the routine, the benefits are really limited.  I am committed to the program so I would continue to do it, but I saw an opportunity to tweak the schedule and replace it with something that adds more value.

Core is an excellent workout that focuses obviously on your core muscles while performing other exercises.  For the Classic schedule of P90X, Core is only performed six times during the entire 90 days.  Core is also pretty non-stop and therefore very cardio-like.  I've measured and it burns just as many calories as Kenpo so I don't lose any cardio by switching them out.  Essentially, what I lose in some balance and coordination, I get back in core work.  Mind you, I'm not losing all the balance work.  Yoga is practically all balance and the Legs/Back routine incorporates a lot of balance. 

Another thing...I'm not going soft here.  Core is WAY HARDER than Kenpo.  I am actually making the program HARDER by putting it in.  There is NOTHING in the Kenpo plan that I cannot do very easily.  However, there are a lot of exercises in Core that I won't be able to do for a long time.

The real issue to swapping out Kenpo with Core is how to schedule it.  I've found that the P90X schedule is actually made very nicely to allow for recovery and prevent over training.  Kenpo is on a Tuesday.  However Core is actually pretty chest heavy with a lot of push up like exercises.  Thursdays are always full of chest exercises and those two days don't feel like enough time to rest.  From the advice of Stephanie Osborne, I've decided to put Core on Monday and move Legs/Back from Monday to Tuesday.  The only problem with this is that there is quite a bit of lunge and squat stuff in Core too...hopefully not enough to put me off Legs/Back the next day.  We'll see.

Core went pretty well today.  It can really be an exhausting routine.  Most exercises don't use weight but those that do require very light weights because of the high number of repetitions.  I use only ten pound dumbbells for these.  Some of the more challenging exercises included are Sphinx push ups, Plank/Chaturanga runs and Plank/Chaturanga isos.  Each of these I can actually do by themselves on any given day.  But when you put them in the middle of the workout, they become exponentially harder...or almost impossible. 

P90X has really start to lose the magic for me.  The reason why is that it isn't really magical to begin with.  It is marketed and talked about as if it is some type of supernatural force.  But after 60 days of doing this, I am realizing that it is just a workout routine...three days of cardio and three days of weights.  It is well regimented and put together, but it isn't anything super special.  And after doing it for a while, I begin to realize that it isn't as hard as everyone says.  People actually scare you when they talk about it.  But once you get in the groove, although it is definitely challenging, it isn't impossible.  It isn't walking on water...it is just working out.

Day 60 (Yoga)

Completed Yoga X yesterday to wrap up 60 days.  Nothing really new to report except that I tried using a "Yoga block" (actually the case my dumbbell set came in) during half moon and twisting half moon.  Without the block, I was using my finger tips on the floor as I turned.  This would result in me not being able to turn very far without tipping over.  With the "block," I am able to put my palm all the way down and turn a little farther without the fear of tumbling.  It is still very rough.  However, I have been able for a while now to keep my back leg up through the entire routine.  Prior to that, I am able to get a few seconds of Warrior 3 before I have to come down into standing splits.

Other than that, nothing new.  Still trying to go lower in the second round of the leg twists.  Still trying to go lower in the Chaturangas.  I have never done the extra push ups by the way.  Once again, I felt really groovy after it was all over with.  The routine really does that for me.

With 60 days up, I really don't see much of a difference in my body as far as it looks.  I have a little more Ab definition.  My wife says my chest, shoulders and arms have gotten bigger but I don't see it.  We'll see what happens over the next 30 days.  I am not expecting anything dramatic.

The really cool thing is how good my knees feel.  And just overall, I feel...I don't know...just more spry.  Before P90X, I felt kind of like an old man whenever I would get up or down, especially from the floor.  I don't feel that drag anymore.  I think my body is now just used to jumping, squatting and lunging.

Day 59 (Shoulders/Arms) Increasing weight...

Finished shoulders and arms.  I was able to increase my weight by 5 pounds on almost every exercise since the last time I did this.  That shows I am making an improvement.  However, I did experience a little bit of "two steps forward/one step back" as I progressed.  After pushing myself more than normal for the first half of the workout, my triceps starting to give out a little in the end so some of my reps decreased.

Also, I pushed myself a little too far in some of the initial exercises where the weights are above your head.  I might have slightly tweaked my back.  It isn't too bad...not really an injury...probably because of all the core work I've done over the past two months.  Just a little tight.  Yoga tomorrow will probably help it out.

I've never really done dumbbells before P90X before.  One thing I notice is that I'll pick up weights for an exercise thinking "man, these are way too heavy for what I'm trying to do" while they are still down by my sides.  But I find that once I start the exercise that feeling goes away.  By making just one attempt to see if I can do it, I avoid just setting the weights down and trying something lighter.  I am also noticing that a lot of weightlifting is mental.  You really have to mentally push yourself past the point of discomfort.  Horton says it in one of the videos...something about how people tend to stop WAY too early.  He's right.  We aren't used to pushing ourselves like this during our day-to-day activities.  It really takes a different mindset to push yourself to absolute exhaustion.

Another mental part is taking the energy out of your face.  I find myself straining my face during some exercises as I am really pushing lifting a weight.  Once I realize I am face-straining, I will relax my face and focus on the muscles I am working.  At that point, I find a calm and I'm able to really improve my performance.  I mean, I'm not working out my face here!