Day 29 (Chest,Shoulders,Triceps) Working through allergies

It sucks working out when you are sick.  I've had horrible allergies (for those who don't have them, it feels like a horrible cold) for the past week.  Practically everyone I know started suffering to some degree at the same exact time, so it seems pretty clear it is just seasonal allergies.  It just hits me worse than most this time of year.

I've been able to stay on track with the P90X though, mainly because I've switched these workouts to the afternoons where I have more energy.

Started Phase II today so two of the resistance workouts are different.  On day 1 of the week, I'm doing today's workout.  I was pretty intimidated when I looked at some of the exercises (plyo push ups, one-armed push ups), but I studied everything last night and tried a few reps to prepare.

The tricky thing about starting a new routine is knowing what weight to use.  Luckily some of the exercises overlap Shoulders and Arms, namely In/Out Shoulder Flys, Chair Dips, Side Tri-Rises and Lying Tricep Extensions.  So I already knew the weight to use for those.  For the rest, I had to guess and then pause the workout if I needed to adjust.  This happened several times, but I wanted to get the right weight instead of pushing ahead with something too light or too heavy.

I actually did better with this workout than I expected.  All of the weight exercises went very well.  I will admit I struggled with the push ups.  I didn't really fall apart until I got to the "two-twitch speed push-ups" which involve four very fast push ups followed by three very slow ones and then repeats.  I didn't make it to the repeat.  This was the 10th exercise and I was already starting to feel a little fried.  I was able to do 6 right and 6 left one-armed push ups although I didn't go super deep.  The secret to these is to do them on your knees and to twist your body away from your push up arm (they show this in the video).  It isn't too bad then.  I was able to at least make some hand-to-hand contact for the plyo push ups (I did 15 of these) although I had to go on my knees again.  By the time I got to the one-arm balance push ups (the 22nd exercise), my arms were "toasty toast" as Tony Horton would say.  I could only do 2...my arms could barely hold me up.

One thing that was surprising was the number of calories I supposedly burned...703.  And that was with numerous breaks to change weights.  Right now, it looks like I'll need a 5, 10, 15 and 20 lb setup.  I only have three dumbbell bars, so I can see I'll have to change weights at least once.

Didn't eat so hot today.  With the calories burned, I still net a few hundred over maintenance.  That isn't such a big deal by itself but a lot of those calories were Cokes...I MUST cut those out.  They don't do anything for muscle growth...I've got to find some protein rich foods to replace those calories with.

Tomorrow is Plyometrics.  Haven't done that in quite a while.  Looking forward to burning 1100 calories and hopfully replacing those with non-Coke calories.

Day 27 (Yoga) Yoga burned 734 calories?!

I decided to try the HR monitor during Yoga yesterday.  Starting out I thought it was kind of a joke.  I'd glance down at the watch and it would say something like 90bpm.  But the moving asanas started to do their work.  I glanced down again...in the 120's...and then around right angle pose I think I got into the 140's.  It is just amazing how hard you can get your heart to work when you aren't even moving.  After the workout I looked and I burned 734 calories.  Wow.  I still counted calories...I ended with a net around 2200 (after subtracting the workout) with around 20% protein and around 55% carbs.  Not too bad.  I imagine those percentages will shift toward protein once I get rid of more Cokes through the day.

I've mentioned before that I really like the Yoga.  Today, I held it together until Warrior 3.  Still can't stay in it.  By that time, my legs are worn out.  But when I fall out, I still try to get back in.  I can do the standing splits, but I fell apart again during moon and twisting moon.  I think I'm actually getting better during the first 30 minutes...putting more effort in and getting lower in the lunges, but that actually hurts me during the last 15 minutes of the asanas because I'm worn out.  That's OK though...I think that 30 minutes will get longer and longer.  Another thing I might try is just through the week go through the Warrior 3, standing splits, moon and twisting moon routine while I am fresh...just to get the feel of it down.

I've mentioned before that after the asanas are the balance postures.  I still suck at those.  Still working.  Once again, the legs are really shot by the time those roll around.

The last thing is Yoga belly.  It is a lot like the Ab Ripper X but slower.  I think I'm enjoying that because I am actually seeing the effect on my body.  There is definitely more ab definition.  Also, although I've still got a little bicycle tire around the waist, I can press it with my finger and feel rock hard muscles under there.  That is actually pretty cool to see that happen.

So I've completed four weeks and all of phase I.  I am pretty scared of phase II.  Tomorrow's workout includes one-armed push ups and plyo (clapping) push ups.  We'll see how that goes!

Day 26 (Core) and counting calories

Today was Core Synergistics...only my second time doing it.  I found it a little easier this time, probably because I knew what to expect and I've been going over the routine to understand it better.  I tried it with a HR monitor on and learned that it burned 820 calories.

I was able to make it through the entire first section which includes 8 exercises without stopping.  I started to lose strength and endurance during the second section...particularly the prison cell push-ups (which I did maybe 8-10 of), the plank to chaturanga run (which I just did the plank and had to stop twice) and the walking pushups (once again had to stop twice).  There are just too many push-up-like exercises squeezed in too closely...my arms just couldn't hold me up anymore.

I actually completed the last section fairly well with the exception of the plank to chaturanga isos...I did the plank/chaturanga/plank and half a chaturanga before I could do no more.  Once again...a push-up like exercise.

Despite the difficultly (or perhaps because of it), I am really liking this workout.  I like that it is unique and focuses on the core.  Because of this, I think I may swap out Kenpo every week for Core.  Kenpo really isn't that challenging...all that I'll lose by dumping it is some balance work with the kicks.  However, I will get plenty of balance with Yoga and I think the Core will really add to what I am doing.

I'd been playing around with tracking calories and with encouragement from Stephanie Osborne (the Beachbody coach I purchased the P90X program through), I started today.  I used MyFitnessPal.com (the mobile app) and I was very surprised at what I saw.

I would normally consider today a day where I ate way too much and really fell off the wagon with Coke.  If I didn't look, I would assume today would be a day that the scale would start moving up.  Here's the overview:

Breakfast
-Protein Bar, 90 calorie Coke
Snack
-Peanut mix, half of a 240 calorie Coke
Lunch
-Panera half Turkey Bravo, large bowl of potato soup, baguette, small Coke
Snack
-Peanut mix, Protein Bar
Dinner
-five large stuffed pasta shells, salad, 90 calorie Coke
Snack
-Popcorn, Juice

That comes up to 2931 calories.  Subtract 820 and I netted 2111.  I've played around with dieting before and found I need 2200-2300 just to maintain weight.  The breakdown was 53% carbs, 31% fat and 16% protein (MFP tells me the targets should be 55%,31%,15%).  Since today was a huge Coke day (4 drinks), it now isn't surprising that I've lost 5-6 pounds in the three weeks when I had one Coke and less snacks.

I'll keep using MFP to track things for a while.  What I'd like to do is stay at NET (after exercise) maintenance calories (~2200-2300/day), stop the Cokes and replace those calories with protein rich foods/snacks.  Any ideas other than protein bars and peanuts?

Day 25 (Kenpo) Increasing intensity and losing weight

Did Kenpo today.  Was able to burn just over 1000 calories (according to my HR monitor) by adding a little more intensity to all of the moves.  Through many of the arm sequence, I increased my pace over what was on the DVD to keep my heart rate up.  When it got to the start blocks, I just did jumping jacks as the block sequence is just WAY too slow.  I have improved on balance.  I can do reverse kicks reasonably well even when I'm exhausted.

Today I felt wasted for some reason.  Not sure if it is over training or what.  I checked my weight this morning and I was at 161...too low.  I've lost 5-6 pounds in the last three weeks.  I really have mixed feelings about this.  I didn't start P90X to lose weight, but I did want to lose a tiny tire I have around my waist.  I actually wanted to build muscle.  So I'm not sure how I feel about losing any weight.  Can I really gain any muscle and lose that small amount of fat at the same time?  That was the question I entered into P90X with.  So far, the changes I've seen in my body are VERY subtle...slight increases in definition in my abs is the main thing.  Starting the second week, I actually paid attention to my diet...increasing protein substantially while trying to give up empty calories like Coke and snacks.  I still thought I was eating plenty.  But maybe I'm not eating enough and that is why I'm losing weight and feeling wasted.  Today I fell off the wagon though.  Seeing the weight loss and feeling tired gave me an excuse to pig out quite a bit and also load up on some Cokes.  I'll get back to normal tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Yoga and my attempt to switch up my schedule to do this stuff when I get home from work.  We'll see how it goes.  Looking forward to Yoga.  I love it.

Stretches throughout the P90X workout...

This may or may not be of any interest to anyone, but if you are going to do the P90X workout and you are playing around with skipping the X-Stretch workout (done every 7 days and/or once every 4-5 weeks), this might help.

If you look at all the warm-up and cool-down and active workout stretches that are done on all 12 discs, there are 54 different stretches.  Most discs include a total of 10-15 stretches total.  X-Stretch has the most at 33 with Yoga second at 19.  Ab Ripper X has the least at 3. 

If you skip X-Stretch, you will miss only 7 out of the 54 stretches each week: Back Hero (neck), Back Up The Car (neck), Camel (back?), Child's Pose with Left and Right Stretch (sides, back, ?), Dreya Forearm Stretch (forearm), Roller (back?), Toe Flexor (foot, angle, calf?).  I actually like all of these stretches, but if I wanted to keep them and didn't like the hour of X-Stretch (which I actually do but you might not), I could probably do them in 10 minutes.

By the way, there are a total of 21 stretches on the other discs that are NOT on X-Stretch...that accounts for about 40% of the total number.

Below is the info in a graphical format (boy was I bored tonight).  If you want it in spreadsheet format, drop me an email or make a comment below.

Day 24 (Stretch) Modifying the P90X schedule

Today was supposed to be Kenpo and tomorrow X-stretch.  Well my back was a little tight today, my knees a little wobbly (after Core/grass mowing yesterday) and I was having a stressful day anyway so I swapped them out...Kenpo will be tomorrow.  The overall P90X schedule is pretty good about spacing out workouts...you never really focus on the same muscle group twice in a short period of time.  In this case (during the recovery week), the schedule is Yoga/Core/Kenpo/Stretch/Core/Yoga, so Kenpo is back-to-back with Core no matter what.

I'm not quite sure what to make of X-stretch.  The workout is scheduled as an optional 7th day workout at the end of every resistance week and once during the rest/recovery weeks.  Almost all of the stretches are the exact same ones at the beginning or the ends of the other routines...there are only a very small handful of exceptions...things like forearm stretches, some foot/ankle stretches and a back stretch (I could actually do the Camel as well as Shauna...right down to the ground...although I was a little concerned about getting stuck there).  So it is not like you aren't already doing this workout a small part at a time throughout the week.  That makes me feel a little better about skipping it as the 7th day workout.  You don't really get those stretches during the recovery week so I think I'll keep it in there.  Plus, it is pretty relaxing if you are having an uptight day.  It also keeps you on a routine...6 workouts a week.

Thanks for reading.

Day 23 (Core Synergistics) Rest and recovery my ass.

This week is supposed to be "rest and recovery."  Today's workout was Core Synergistics and for me it is the hardest one so far.  All the exercises engage your core while also doing other stuff (thus the synergy).  Many of the exercises are "maximum reps" in a specific period of time.

I don't know...maybe I was having an off day but my "maximum reps" were pretty minimal on several things.  Some things that come to mind are the Sphinx Push Ups, Prison Cell Push Ups, Plank Run (didn't even attempt the Chaturanga Run), Walking Push Ups, Superman Banana, Reach High & Under Push Ups, Plank to Chaturanga Iso...actually now that I'm typing this out, it is really the push up maneuvers that were killing me.  By the end of the workout, I was spent...I could only do a hand full of Table Dip Leg Raises.

I had to work out in the morning to be able to mow the lawn in the afternoon.  But after today, I'm moving my whole routine to the afternoons.  I think I am having a problem really concentrating and pushing myself that early in the morning.

The bummer about today's workout is that it is only repeated 6 times during the entire 90 days.  So I feel like if I dogged it out today, I'm really losing out.  Oh well, we'll see how I do the next time (which is Monday).

A few things I learned...

• It was really a great idea to go through the workout first last night before doing it.  That really helped.
• A paper plate works well for the walking push ups
• I didn't write anything down on the workout sheet.  There was so little time between routines and it was too hard to keep track of reps...I just did as many as I could in the time allotted.  I may make some notes though.
• Use light weights.  There is no reason to use anything super heavy.  I think I only used 10 pounds when required and that seemed too much on some of the exercises.

**EDIT**
Added scan of workout sheet below with some minimal notes as to the exercises I felt OK about and the weight I used on the exercises.