Posts Tagged ‘YogaX’

P90 Obstacles

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

So a lot of people coaching newcomers to P90X will claim that the first month is the hardest; that you’ll be sore the entire time and that you just have to keep “pushing play” and you’ll be in it for the long haul.

On one hand, I think that’s good advice in that, physically speaking, the first month IS the hardest and you certainly don’t want soreness to be the reason you quit a good program. I was sore as hell most of the time, and I was weak on most of the exercises. I still look back at the reps and weights of the resistance training from the first two weeks and I have to laugh. Wow, I was a complete wus! Now, I’m no Vin Diesal now, but I at least have some respect for my workout capacity these days.

Still. In some ways the first month was the easiest. I went into the program with a fire in my belly and a mind full of zeal and a few clear goals to boot — be able to do more than one pull-up, for instance. Plus, because I was so damn weak, I saw quick progress in obvious areas. “Wow, last week I was on my knees blowing on the ground trying to propel myself off since my noodle arms had long since failed and this week I wasn’t even blowing on the ground!” It’s hard to be a wus, but it’s even harder to stay that way when you start seeing rapid progress and a means to get stronger.

Fastforward two months, and THAT my friends is the hard part. It’s hard because you’ve already seen progress, you’ve already blown away a lot of the obvious weaknesses, but you still are having to work your ass off. There are still, like, four more weeks of this shanx, and you don’t know what the hell you’re going to do afterwards. More P90x? Pshaw, not likely! Maybe in a few months. But you’re in this weird limbo where you’ve made rapid progress but you still have a long ass way to go. Plus, although you probably won’t remotely plateau through most of the program, the progress is much more incremental, even subtle.

Happily, I only have two and a half weeks remaining this go round. My workouts have been slipping in a subtle way. I missed an Ab Ripper X routine completely, I’ve cut Yoga X short twice because of over-extending my weekend commitments;  my eating has been sloppy. And to all that I can somewhere hear an indignant Beachbody coach screaming at me for half-assing it.

But there’s another side to slipping and how it affects us. For some of us, slipping on routines or our eating means we’ve failed and we might as well not continue. For me, it just means maintaining my intensity has become difficult, and I have to wonder why. And the truth is that I accomplished my major fitness goals with P90X faster than I realized I would, and I’m already trying to figure out what next big thing is going to motivate me and drive me to self-improvement in such a rapid manner. It might be taking a self-defense class. Or Kettlebell training. Or going through Insanity. Or a combination thereof! I haven’t figured it out yet, but probably the biggest thing P90X has given me is the desire for variety and self-expansion.

So I’ll keep pushing play and muster up whatever energy I have to finish up the program. Heck, I may even go through it again sometime in the (probably distant) future. I’ll surely incorporate some of the workouts here and there as they are really good ones. But I’m not going to beat myself up for slipping here and there. In the end, this program is about setting and reaching for personal goals, and that’s what I’m keeping in mind as I head towards the grand finale.

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Day 60-Something

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

We took Day 56 measurements, weight, and pics a few days ago. I’d like to post something about them here, but we still haven’t transferred from our cameras and doctored them enough to impress the masses. Just kidding…we wouldn’t doctor them, other than to remove some skin blemishes or something!

My new yoga mat arrived, and I think it will prove to be a good investment. It doesn’t slip around on the floor, and it’s actually long enough for me to do my various poses without making a choice between having my hands or feet touching the floor. Two cheers for good yoga mats! Unfortunately it still gets slippery when wet (cue Bon Jovi), so I’m just going to have to suck it up and dry the thing off from time to time throughout my workouts — that or quit sweating, which might have worse repercussions. That was an expensive mat, but I noticed Beachbody (makers of P90X) sells one for a reasonable price. We paid the same price for a crap mat from Bed, Bath and Beyond, so theirs is probably better and accessible for those on a tighter budget.

Finally, I also went insane and bought a 30 Day Supply of Shakeology. Call it curiosity. I’ve only had one shake so far, but am about to prepare another. It’s nice to have that as a meal replacement, and it’s an interesting drink…seems kine of like a magic potion with a strange after-taste. I’m not really sure how I’d tell it’s worth the hefty price-tag though. If I gain the ability to levitate or read minds, I’ll let you know.

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Week 7 – Still going strong

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Hi there, fitness voyeurs.  I just got done with Yoga X and am feeling pretty spry here towards the end of my 7th week of this program. I’m officially over the halfway mark (almost 50 days in?).

A few notable observations:

  • I am suddenly WAY more flexible than I was before.  I can now put my palms to the ground on certain stretches where before I could only land my fingertips at best. Hard to explain and a quick Google search (10 seconds or less is my limit for most searches) didn’t yield any images off the web I could grab to visually illustrate, but next time you see me I’ll show it off and leave you dumbfounded.
  • I bit the bullet and bought a couple of extra supplements to help for those extra tough workouts. I had bonked on a couple of workouts in Week 6 and vowed to give myself every advantage going into the final few weeks, which are quickly approaching. Some internet research (like, at least an hour’s worth) has convinced me I can safely add NO-Xplode (nitric oxide, etc.) and Cellmass (creatine, etc) to my pre- and post-workout repertoire. I was already using Iso-Pure (high grade whey protein) for post-workout recovery.  I’ve only been using them for a few days, so not much to report yet, but they’re supplements, so they’re meant for that extra 5%, not for working miracles.
  • Work is demanding more and more hours from me, which does not for a Happy P90Xer make. I’m trying to squeeze workouts in in the morning just in case I have to work late, but it’s still a stretch. The parents were in town this weekend, so I skipped a workout on Friday and moved it to Saturday. I should be back on track by the end of the week as long as I can use my normal rest day for Kenpo.
  • Before P90X, I was obsessing about the economy and the disintigrating global state of affairs. Now I’m obsessed with fitness blogs; hopefully a more useful obsession! Anyway, here’s a good entry I stumbled upon: Tony Horton’s 11 Laws of Fitness. If you want to know why P90X is so darn effective, it’s because it embodies every one of the laws described in that post.  Those are also good laws to keep in mind after P90X, as you can pretty much chart your own fitness course into interesting and exhausting new worlds.

That is all for now.

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Week 6 – Weird P90X Week

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

So, I’m almost done with Week 6, and I can safely say that it’s been the strangest week so far.

First of all, my diet hasn’t been what it should have been. I didn’t exercise as much discipline as I should have during social outings, so I ingested some crap of only marginal nutritional value, or downright unhealthy stuff at times. My breakfasts and lunches were ok, but the night time dinners suffered.

Also, my strength days (Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders and Back and Biceps) suffered. I didn’t see any improvement on my chest, triceps and shoulders day, and I downright didn’t finish the back and biceps workout. That workout was a Friday night one, and to be honest, everything was going against me completing it. I had stayed late at work, and I tried squeezing it in before my and my wife’s date night. Didn’t work. I got a third of the way through it and had to quit. I felt like crap, and the stress of trying to squeeze too much in got to me.

So this is the first time I’ve missed a P90X workout, but I think I’m ok with it. I can make the workout up later if necessary, and I haven’t been bringing the attention and focus and discipline this week the way I have in previous weeks;  I felt my body was telling me to take a step back and to re-adjust.

And weirdly enough, I think I have. I had a strong finish to the week, with my best Yoga X workout and my best Back and Legs workouts. After starting the week WEAK, I finished pretty  strong.

I think Week 6 might just be a psychologically difficult week. You’ve just gotten over the initial thrill of starting a new workout program and successfully getting through the first phase, but here you are two weeks into the next phase and the end of the program still seems as far away as it did at the beginning, minus the unbridled enthusiasm. Plus the new workouts have kicked in and have confused the ol’ muscles to the point of humility. Finally, one of the characters on new workouts is a Grade A Asshat. I keep hoping Tony will pile drive him by the end of the workout, but, no, alas, he lives on.

Anyway, I also got a nice sunburn this weekend, as if working out isn’t uncomfortable enough, just imagine moving around with toasted feet and legs, chest and arms. Yes, I used Sunscreen, No, I didn’t use it well. I have splotchy burn patches mixed with smaller areas of relative peace and tranquility.

And, finally, I’m debating the use of supplements to give my body an extra boost.  A friend of mine at work is going to let me try the pre-workout supplement called N.O. X-plode.  From what I’ve read, it’s pretty popular among the athletes and strength trainers as it gives the muscles an extra boost of Nitric Oxide before working out, which helps you squeeze out more reps.  It also apparently helps with mental focus. I’m going to try a sample my friend gives me to make sure I can tolerate it with no side effects, and if I’m pleased I may just buy some.

I don’t want to become a supplement fiend, but the fact remains that rigorous training programs demand much more from the body than the average sedentary American day does, and the idea is to give your body every advantage possible — from feeding it good foods, to getting the right amount of sleep, to adding in nutrients your body uses rapidly during workouts and recovery.

I’ll keep you posted if I end up going this route.

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Days 1-4 Retrospective

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

Husband here:

Not officially through the first four days but am close.

First off, P90X has been EXACTLY what I’m looking for, which is a program that relentlessly assaults and remedies my weaknesses. The bummer here is that I have far more than I realized, and I already knew I was weak. The good thing is Tony (whose blog I just found) encourages you to ditch the ego and focus on proper form and improvement over over-exertion for the sake of glory. That’s good, because this is humbling stuff.

Day 1: Chest & Back & Ab Ripper X

I don’t like push-ups. I don’t like pull-ups. The majority of this routine is doing variations of both until your arms are limp noodles. Weee. There are also some military-friendly exercises called “Dive Bombers” that simulate crawling underneath a fence, coming out the other side, thinking better of it, then crawling backwards again, repeat and so on. Shockingly enough, I could do that one, which suggests I am well prepared to trespass into fenced pastures if necessary! Nothing glamorous with this routine, just meat & potatoes type stuff.

Oh, and you end with Ab Ripper X, which is a 15 minute barrage to the abs. This is precisely another type of activity I would not do if left to my own devices. No worries, this program rubs your face in it. You’re not going to get out of this program without strong abs seems to be the message.

Day 2: Plyometrics

Partially fun, partially hell. This is definitely aerobic in nature as you jump around everywhere. A lot of the jumps simulate actual activities you might engage in if you’re not resigned to a desk-bound job in an air conditioned office; you know, stuff our forefathers might have done, like jumping across creeks, or hopping through rows of tires, practicing a jump shot in basketball, and so forth. All of this was novel for me as I haven’t played a sport in two years, and my legs felt like leprous sandbags by the end of the routine. Even simple exercises such as scampering around a towel in a circle  made me look like I was recovering from having been bed-ridden for a year.

Day 3: Shoulders & Arms

Suspiciously easy workout compared to the previous two. A lot of fairly conventional shoulder, bicep and tricep work, almost all of which I had done before. “This is not what I paid for!” I wanted to think, but secretly I was grateful it wasn’t more punishing. In the end, I had worked all the muscle groups to virtual failure, so I can’t complain too much about the effort required…and besides, little did I know what the next day would bring…

Oh, again, this session ends with Ab Ripper X. Fun ab onslaught.

Day 4: Yoga X

Holy Mother of God!!! This is one of the most humbling routines I’ve ever endured.  I felt like a crippled swan through most of this routine, as it emphasizes muscle endurance, balance, and flexibility, all of which I lack in spades. Most of the positions were vastly uncomfortable and I’d estimate I only did 50-60% of the overall routine to any sort of accuracy. Yes, it’s that hard. It’s the kind of thing I could see a cocky football player trying and quitting halfway through.
However, if you check your ego at the door, you just press through it and try to improve.

The first 50 minutes or so are the hellish part. The last 40 minutes (yes, another wrinkle, this is an hour and a half routine) are a little easier as they emphasize stretching more. The last 10 minutes are actually quite relaxing. Tony mentions that this is the “Yin” to the “Yang”, to which I thought, “Hey buddy, you only gave us 10 minutes of pure Yin and killed us the rest of the time!”

Oh well, I can always get a tamer Yoga program elsewhere if I want to get all relaxed with it.

Oh, below is the pose I attempted and failed at miserably. My goal is to be able to do it after the 90 day period.

Not for panzies

Not for panzies

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