Day 36 (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps + Ab Ripper) Post workout guilt

The feelings I get after some of these P90X workouts are sometimes very odd.  Although I'm completely exhausted during the workout, once I've recovered for a few minutes I commonly feel as though I should have...could have pushed myself more and that I dogged the workout.  I'm not sure how accurate that really is, but sometimes I can't shake that feeling.

Today was the second time doing this particular workout.  The number and type of push up exercises is rough.  I've had some severe allergies and some medication I'm taking is making me drowsy.  I could tell that was affecting things right away...in fact I'm proud of myself that I was even able to work out.  I made the mistake of not looking at my previous number of reps on each exercise as I began to do them today.  Subsequently, I didn't make the proper goals.  This is reflected on the workout sheet...you can see I didn't do as many reps of many of the exercises.  One exception right away was the Floor Flys (which I don't use a paper plate on...I just move to the right or left).  I was able to correct for the proper weight on some exercises this week which allowed me to max out at 8-10 reps instead of more.

A few other notes...

Exercise 13 Side-to-side push ups seems almost identical to 7 Floor flys without the paper plate.  The only difference seems sequence (13 alternates sides where 7 has four reps on one side then four on the other).

I had some type of breakthrough with one-arm push ups.  Although I still do them on my knees, I did 10 and was able to do plenty more.  I'll probably do them on my feet next time.  Once again, the secret is to really twist your body into them.  Also, I put my hand right below where my face is.

I was also able to make very good contact with my hands on the plyo push ups (once again on my knees).  I tried them on my feet but I'm not ready for that yet.

The only exercise I really bombed out at was 10 two-twitch speed push-ups.  I did four fast, three slow, four fast and then fell apart.  I also don't get as low as I should on these.

I have learned a secret to these push ups though...let gravity do the work and then explode up.  It seemed like I was doing some type of unnecessary work to get down...especially with the fast push ups.  Just let gravity bring you down and then focus on pushing up. 

Some of the tricep exercises worried me.  I kept feeling like my triceps were going to give out.  And if that were to happen, the weight is just going to crash down on me.  Well, it hasn't happened yet so hopefully it won't.

Oh yeah...one more thing.  I tried Ab Ripper X right after my workout (I usually do it later in the evening).  I would NOT recommend this.  It is MUCH harder when your heart is still racing and you are exhausted from the previous workout.  However, I was still able to complete it, even with the modified (hands up) moves.

Day 34 (Kenpo) Five weeks down!

Completed Kenpo X yesterday.  After last week's recovery week, I was thinking about swapping out Kenpo with Core Synergistics.  After researching it a bit, I realized that there is a lot of upper body stuff in Core and I wouldn't have time enough to recover before Thursday's Chest, Shoulders and Triceps.  So I'll just stick with the current program.

I do not find Kenpo difficult at all even though I burned 857 calories.  It does not seem like an intense workout.  I have to put a lot of extra intensity to burn that many calories.  I still don't get the star block section.  It is so slow that my heart rate drops and I get nothing from it.  It is the only part of the P90X program that I've changed...I do jumping jacks during that minute or so.  They must put that in thinking that some people are going to be wasted and need a break.  It doesn't really exercise anything at all.  It is just a series of blocks you make while stepping forward twice and stepping backward twice.  I guess if you really, really want to know the blocks it might be worth doing.  But I'm not trying to be a Kenpo master...this is just cardio for me.  If it was about balance, strength or cardio, I would stick with it.  But it doesn't have a component of any of those things.

Today is the day of rest and then back at it tomorrow.  I am VERY sore from Monday's legs and back.  My quads and gluts are screaming.  I am going to consider that a very good thing.

I've made it five weeks!

Day 33 (Legs/Back) Cottage cheese before a workout

I'm not sure what I was thinking.  Shortly before my workout today I ate about 1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese and washed it down with a 90 calorie Coke.  Then I had some type of allergy related coughing fit.  So I took a swig of Robitussin and I was ready to go!

It didn't take long before the mixture of cottage cheese and Coke along with the lingering taste of Robitussin in my mouth reacted very negatively to huffing and puffing through pull ups, lunges and squats.  After about 20 minutes, I thought I was going to puke my guts up.  Somehow I managed to make it through the workout.  I'm bummed because I couldn't really concentrate on the exercises.  But I still did everything including improving on a number of things and burnt 834 calories.

One major thing I did was use a chair for pull ups.  I see them do it in the video by facing the chair away from them and then using one leg on the top of the back of the chair.  I am way too tall to do it that way (and my pull up bar is not mounted at 9 feet like the ones in the DVD).  The best way I found was to place both feet on the seat of a chair facing towards me and perform the pull ups while trying to put NO weight on the chair (I tried using only one foot, but I felt it pushed me off balance).  It worked very well.  I was able to complete 10 reps of the pull ups and 8 reps of the switch grip ones.  I could have probably done more but the cottage cheese / Coke issue was getting in my way.  I really think it is critical to do this.  It makes no sense to do only 2-3 reps of any exercise.  I simply can't build off of that.  But if I can do 10+ reps, I can slowly incorporate taking the chair away.

Other issues I have in this workout relate to balance.  Exercise 1 balanced lunges are difficult for me.  I have a chair beside me for balance and I am trying to not use it.  But that will take some time.  I figure it is better to use something for a little balance rather than not be able to do the exercise with proper form.  Exercise 11 deadlift squats are also difficult although I'm able to do more now without the chair than when I started.  Exercise 17 Toe-roll lunges I was also able to make some progress without a chair.

I also plan on adding weight next time for 7 Step back lunge and 8 Alternating side lunge.

The cool thing about this workout today is that I felt no pain in my knees and I was able to squat lower and lunge lower than I ever have before.  I used to also have noise in the knees and that has dramatically been reduced.

I also did Ab Ripper X this evening.  I checked the calories burned and found it to be 124...not even enough to count.

Day 32 (Yoga)

Completed Yoga.  Burned 699 calories.  Made it through the asanas past right-angle-pose-reach-and-grab without stumbling.  But I couldn't get through prayer twists out of runners pose (where you are doing prayer twists in a lunge).  Man those are hard to balance.  It probably doesn't help that my head is all stuffed up.  And of course, I couldn't do Warrior 3.  I just can't keep the balance.  The whole sequence after that for me is quite a mess.  I can do standing splits, but I keep falling out of half moon.  I'm actually better with twisting half moon.  I really want to get these, so I think I'll just go through these sequences on Wednesday night.

The balance postures after the asanas are tough in a different way.  I'm not sweating or anything, but I just can't stay balanced.  I am better at tree, but I haven't improved at the standing leg extensions.  I was able to get fully into crane a few times (before crashing).

In browsing comments from people doing P90X, it is really sad that many of them are trying desperately to escape doing yoga.  They try so hard to see if there is something else they can substitute.  I wonder if they avoid it because either they never tried it or it was too hard.  Both excuses are sad.

I would attribute a DRAMATIC improvement in my knees to Yoga X.  My balance is also improving and I am learning techniques (like focusing on breath) that helps me tolerate discomfort in all the other workouts and enables me to perform better.  I'm not really buying into all the meditation just yet...maybe I should.  I am more practical...I am just seeing improvements.  Plus, I feel so...I don't know...groovy...at the end of the workout.  Today I actually continued on the DVD through "corpse" pose into lotus.  It was pretty relaxing after killing myself for 90 minutes.

Day 31.5 (Ab Ripper) Making it harder...+ nutrition update

 I don't usually update the Ab Ripper portion of the workout on this blog...I do the normal workouts in the afternoon and then Ab Ripper 3X/week after the kids go to bed.  I tried doing it right after a workout once...then I learned it is best to save it after I've rested and can focus on it.

I've dramatically improved on Ab Ripper since I started.  I have no problem completing all the reps and workouts (I'm not sure if I've ever had to take a break during it) and I'm starting to incorporate variations that make the exercises more difficult...things like holding the hands above the head during the first few (in/outs, bicycles).  I'm also able to focus more on keeping my legs vertical at the top in scissors and heels to the sky.  Tonight I tried to do the leg climb with no climb (just going straight up) but found that too hard right now.

I've mentioned that I've been keeping track of nutrition using Myfitnesspal.com.  I'll probably make weekly posts on my progress there, separate from the workouts.  It would be too boring to be daily.  I've had some real up and downs with this.  I hate it...HATE it when I grossly underestimate calories for something.  Today I was doing great...actually running at 25% protein and less than 50% carbs (by total calories).  Then I had some Uno's pizza.  Little did I know it was almost 700 calories...PER SLICE.  Three slices alone were almost a whole day's food.  Not to mention all the freaking fat that is in it.  There isn't much that is more discouraging than killing yourself to meet a goal and then blowing it...almost DOUBLING it at 7:00 PM.  Kill me now.

Day 31 (Back/Biceps) Last new workout!

Per design of the P90X schedule for Classic, this is the last new workout I'll be doing.  After today, I don't need to learn any new routines.  That is quite a relief as it never seems like you do the workout well the first few times you are learning it.  You just can't put your all into it.

Today was tons of different types of curls and pull ups.  Over the past few days, I tried the new pull ups and didn't have a problem.  Of course, that wasn't after I killed myself with curls.  Needless to say that I couldn't even bring myself up to the bar after the first set.  So I'm making a change...I'm using the chair from now on.  It does me no good to kill myself to do 2-3 pull ups.  I'm just not making any gains.  At least I can get the reps up by putting my foot on a chair.  Then I can try reps without a chair.  It doesn't make sense to keep doing an exercise in a way where you can't make gains.  I'm over four weeks in and almost worse that when I started.  We'll see if this will help. 

I pushed myself harder today.  The P90X literature suggests putting more effort into phase II so that's what I'm doing.  I'm trying to max out at 8-10 reps every time.  The only major problem (other than pull ups) was the last exercise...a strip set that requires four dumbbells.  I only have three, so I had to change weights at least once after I got things set up.  But the real problem is that I can only really curl 20 pounds 8 times after working out for an hour.  After I drop 5 pounds for each of three more sets of eight reps, I'm down to a ridiculous 5 pounds which is like using no weight.  I am going to try to increase my beginning weight next time, but I'm toasty toast by that time of the workout.

One last thing...during these resistance workouts, I will pause the DVD if necessary to make sure I've got the right weight for the exercise.  I think this is critical and this is advice I would give to anyone doing this.  There is no huge rush.  Even with the pauses, my HR monitor still said I burned 617 calories.

One other note...still sick as shit.  Allergies.  Ugh.  It was hard to get started today.  But I tried to pick the time I felt the most energy.  Once I got started, I forgot how bad I felt.

Day 1 vs. Day 30 pictures. Difference?

So the pics are below that I took at day 1 and day 30.  I took them first thing out of bed so forgive me if I don't look my best.

I've stared at the pictures over and over and I can only see a slight difference...I look a little wider.  Do you see anything?

Scroll down.  The pics are below:






































Day 1



Day 30