Day 4: Take 3 - Yoga X

I managed to make it 30 minutes without being totally useless! That's improvement. I also found, after my workout, a GIGANTIC knot in my lower back, right side. I managed to work a lot of it out but holy crap, it was a golf ball in my back. When I stand up, the fat of my back (yuck) kinda disguises it as it's right near the spare tire. When I touch my toes, holy crap I can touch my toes again!, and feel my lower back it's ridiculous. I have no idea how long it has been there but my whole lower body feels...different...looser, just much better.

I might do the opening of Yoga X (first 15 min+) as my normal warm up because it's an insane about of leg and back stretches. I think my initial anger towards Yoga X was my complete inability to accomplish anything other than frustration. My goal is to push until I can hold myself up, which is about where I am.

Back on track, gotta keep it up.

Day 4: Take 2

I missed out on yoga X last night. I got home at 5 and was in bed by 6:30. My back had a pain and my body was super stiff. I did do a bunch of stretching, mostly my legs and back, but I was just beat. I'll take up Yoga X tonight.

Ibuprofen is my friend today.

I think I'll try to find a place to squeeze in a double to get back on track.

Day 4: Morning After

Sooooooooo stiff. My legs are weak. My right ankle actually hurts a bit. I'm going to stretch this morning overall, and thankfully I work at a desk so I'll be off it most of the day. I should be good by tonight. Tonight is Yoga and that will be interesting. I need some Yoga blocks.

I asked on the Teambeachbody boards about how to start up with the nutrition and got some interesting advice. Make a list off all the acceptable food amounts I can eat each day and go to the store and as I find food that fits into those days cross them off the list. Either today or tomorrow I'm going to hit up the grocery store and try to grab some good food. I need to study the nutrition guide first.

Time for breakfast than work.

Day 3: Shoulders and Arm, Ab Ripper X

So, I got out of work today, snagged a snack and header over to the links to play 9 holes with a few friends. I got home at 9. At 9:30 I plunked in tonight's workout. I have to admit, I almost just went to bed, but I went to http://teambeachbody.com to catch up with the crew that I was following the program with in my first attempt and their posts and words of encouragement really pushed me over the edge.

Immediate reactions, I'm stronger than I was at the end of May, my lower back is toast, and Ab Ripper X is still crazy. The weights I have are good, but I need heavier ones for a few exercises. I'm doing toning (12-15) and strength (8-10) exercises for a few because honestly I have one weight to work with here. I'm getting a good burn when I stop so it's ok now, but I know I'll need more soon. The 9 whole trot with my clubs, not to mention smacking the ball around (hit a 54, gotta get better there too) really tired out my legs and back. My hamstrings and lower back are still tight as hell and I still did more stretching today. I think it's going to have to be a twice/thrice/etc times a day until my legs and back give up and stop hurting! Rawr! :)

I love my recovery drink, so tasty. I drake two large glasses of water during my workout tonight. I think was still dehydrated from golf some.

Night!

Day 3: Morning After

Sitting down with my normal breakfast of egg and cheese on a bagel with a large glass of water, yum.

My legs are definitely sore. I stretched my calves a little more this morning and I might do my hamstrings and lower back as well.

I am already really glad I started this again. I don't generally overeat anymore, and what I do eat isn't terrible, but my life is very sedentary. I work in an office and sit at my desk/couch/bed at home on the computer. These workouts, as intense as they are, are a tipping point in my well-being and my life. The last month, the last two weeks even, I've noticed my transitioning back to before I started working out at all. Stiff legs and back in the morning, an old back injury started to reappear that these workouts had curbed, getting up from my desk at work suddenly my back and legs were sore/tight and it took a second for me to shake it off and walk normally. Once a day, a good workout, and my body already starts to shift and change. I have already found tangible things to hold on to that make me want to do this, smaller benefits that make my day to day much more enjoyable.

I'm excited for tonight!

P.S. I'm tempted to start up a weekly video portion to this blog that kind of chronicles my experiences for the last week and gives an update on how I've done. First update would be Sunday. Thoughts?

Day 2: Plyometrics

I love plyo so much. It seriously reminds me of football preseason and I always had a great mindset during that so it just naturally transfers over.

Things I noticed were that this was much tougher than I remember, I'm sure that has to do with me being out of practice and the weight I've put back on during my hiatus. I still managed to go through everything, if poorly ;). I had to take a few breaks to get my heart rate down and my squats by the end were pretty miserable, but I'll work on that and should be good before phase II.

The recovery drink is still delicious!

Day 2: Morning After

My shoulders are tired and tight, but of all things my calves, feet and ankles are tight and sore. I had this issue back before I started P90x (attempt 1) and they had gone away. My lower back and hamstrings are still a mess. I'm looking forward to plyo tonight.

This morning was Egg and (munster) cheese on a bagel with a tall glass of water to go with it. It was delicious. I have a protein bar lined up for snack and the cheapy Tuna fish sandwich for lunch. I won't be losing the gut this round that's for sure, BUT I will do all the work outs. Gotta push it.

Wish me luck.

Day 1: Chest and Back

SOO much easier than I remember. I got tired and ran out of steam by the end but I was completely obliterated. This excites me to continue!

Day 1: The return

I have officially declared attempt #1 of P90X a failure. As disappointed as I am with myself about it I am going to stick with the mantra of "Do your best, forget the rest." I've had a lot of real life issues the last few months and my fitness had to take a back seat. Life should be more stable now and this program is a priority.

August 19th (30 days)
September 18th (60 days)
October 17th (90 days)...
here I come!

1 Month later

Where have I been!? Boy, I'm embarrassed.

Well, I've done maybe all of the third week, but life has really thrown me for a loop lately. Now I'm stuck with the disappointment of failing my first attempt at P90x, but wanting to try again.

I'll be mulling this over this weekend. I think Monday will be Day 1 again if I can find the right mindset.

Any thoughts?

Day 17: Morning After

Today I am very stiff. My left calf down to my heel actually hurts when I stand on it (MORE STRETCHING!!). But considering that, I still feel really good. I did not sleep very well, so I hope that doesn't hinder me today. Uh, already my brain is chugging.

Shoulders and Arms tonight....after golfing :) I'm thinking today will call for a mid-day nap.

Woo!

Day 16: Plyo!!

Observations!

My hamstrings are still stupid tight. I did more stretching on just those post workout.

My overall strength seems better (strong calves, and more reps)

My quads just started to get tired and my hip flexors would just fail.

I had to take some breaks between sets. I think my 4 day hiatus didn't effect my overall muscle mass, but it did take a slight toll on my stamina. I'm hoping to see better improvement next week.

I'm also going to be dedicating time before and after every workout specifically to my hamstrings, hip flexors and lower back. These are my weaknesses (probably from my old back injury), and if I can get those up to par I hope to see larger jumps in capabilities.

Overall, I still love Plyo. The sports bonus is a nice distraction, since I played those sports and it's old practices come back. The lateral frog jumps are identical to a linemen blocking drill I did, except we had to keep our feet pumping during the drill. I plan to get back to that point over time.

Wee, recovery drink!! (Last serving is tomorrow, anyone have recommendations for over the counter stuff? My muscle milk is delicious, but I've heard it might be too fatty)

Day 16: Morning After

Unlike other mornings I just got up and did my morning routine. Generally I'm a zombie for the first 10 minutes I'm awake and I it was not until I was fully awake that I realized I was as sore/stiff as I was before I started the program. I pop and creak in the morning :)

I'm looking forward to Plyo tonight, I think it's my favorite so far!

Day 15: Chest and Back: Reps

I took a full rest day on Day 14, and slept (after 9 holes of golf :-D)

On to Chest and Back!!
Rep / Goal
Standard Push-ups: 12 / 15
Wide Front pull-ups: 10 / 10 (w/ chair)
Military Push-ups: 7 / 10
Reverse Grip Chinups: 7 / 10 (w/ chair)

Widefly Pushups: 10 / 10
Close Grip Overhand Pull-ups: 6 /5 (w/ chair)
Decline Push-ups: 6 / 5
Heavy Pants: 15 @ 25 lbs

Diamond Push-ups: 2 / 3
Lawn Mowers: 25 lbs
L: 18 / 15
R: 18 / 15
Dive Bomber: 6 / 5
Back Flys: 17 / 15 @ 25lbs

Round 2
Wide Front Pull-ups: 10 / 10 (w/ chair)
Standard Pushups: 6 / 10
Reverse Grip Chinups: 5 /5 (w/chair) < suuuck :)
Military Push-ups: 2 / 5

Close Grip Overhand Pullups: 7 / 10 (w/ chair)
Wide Fly Pushups: 10 / 10
Heavy Pants: 15 @ 25 lbs
Decline Push-ups: 3 / 5 < total fail at 4

Lawnmowers: L/R 20 / 15 @ 25lbs < get heavier weights!
Diamond Pushups: 1 / 3 < barely got 1, haha
Back Flys: 15 / 15 @ 25lbs < getting tired.
Dive Bomber: 2 / 5 < whenever my arms bent I hit the deck after 2 reps


Ab Ripper -X : Still doing the workouts, but DAMN doing this after Chest and Back always kills me. I need to stretch my hamstrings more.

The workouts are getting easier, but I'm still pooped and not able to do all the workouts. Gotta push it more!!

Recovery Drink!!! :-D

Day 13/14: take 2...Kempo X + Rest X

I love this work out :)

I'm picking up at Day 15 tomorrow, because I will have about a 36 hours break between this workout and my next session.

I couldn't do the double-time on the kicks, and I only had to take a couple extended breaks to get my heart-rate down, and I felt like a wet-noodle doing my punches in the last set, BUT I managed to go right along with the exercises. Still improving, and I'm going to try to stop missing nights.

My health is paramount to just anything else in my life right now.

Recovery drink!! :)

Day 13: Things that motivate me

Someone tell me that this is normal, because two weeks and these things seem crazy to me.

I'm wearing a t-shirt today that I haven't worn in almost a year because it was a second skin. Granted it's not loose, but it's not tight either.

My dress shirts that I bought after graduation (May 08) are baggy again. Sadly, I bought them large knowing I was gaining weight. I'd LOVE to have to buy a smaller size.

Last I checked, I don't own a scale, as of Saturday I weigh 280.3. This is down from my 286.1 on fitness test day. That was 5 days ago as well, and I'm curious if there's been anymore loss (I doubt it considering my 3 day hiatus).

Afternoons still kill me at work, but I'm much more coherent than I've been in a long time, even during those low points.

Gotta stay positive! :)

Day 13: Morning After

After I was getting used to the idea of not being sore or in pain anymore in the mornings I am reminded of the fact that my next day is directly related to the effort I put into the night before. After my initial soreness, pain, and weakness had subsided I realized I was once again doing what I love to do, push as hard as I can. There are parts that I just can't do, but that didn't stop me from trying. The chair pose for legs and back I did the entire 1:30, proper form and all, and I was almost shaking uncontrollably by the end, but I kept it together. :)

I should say that I've done enough in my life in the way of fitness to realize where the pain point is, where I need to stop, to keep my heart rate in a sane level, and not to physically harm myself. Saying that, Yoga was the first that I think I ever OVER stretched. My back I think is still weak from then, and yesterday's workout just made it weaker.

More stretching today!

Bad night's sleep = I'm exhausted.

Day 12: Legs and Back - Reps

Balance Lunges:
L : 15
R : 15 << Balance is rough
Calf Raise Squats: 16 @ 25 lbs << Left knee started to pop a little

*Really panting already* I need to breath more I think

Reverse Grip Chin-ups: 10 w/ Chair
<< Boo Acid Reflux
Super Skaters:
L: 15
R: 16
Wall Squats: 1:30!!
Wide Front Pull-ups: 10 w/ Chair
Step Back Lunges:
R: 14
L: 10 < Left foot keeps cracking on step back
Alternating Side Lunges: 12 << Legs are shaking
Close Grip Overhand Pullups: 5 w/ Chair << Wrist tingling
Single Leg Wall Squats: 45 degrees, leg not straight, but up
Dead Lift Squats:
L: 10 << argh acid reflux
R: 11 << This leg has better balance, odd.
Switch Grip Pullup: 4x4 w/ chair
3 Way Lunge:
R: 5
L: 2 << blah
Sneaky Lunge: 16
Reverse Grip Chinups: 8 w/ Chair (less chair than before though!)
Chair Salutations: 2 sets of 30 seconds
Toe Roll Iso Lunges:
L: 6
R: 7
Wide Front Pull-ups: 10 w/ chair
Groucho Walk: 50 sec
Calf Raises: 25 all three directions @ 25lbs
Overhand Close grip pullups: 4 w/ Chair << Lame :)
80-20 Sieber speed squats:
L: 30, no jumps
R: 30, no jumps
Switch Grip Pullups: 4x4 w/ chair

Ab Ripper X - Done. I did all the exercises. This time I made 3/11 full 25 reps, then I dropped down to 10s and 15s. I did everything though, though not perfect form, so I'm going to work on smaller reps, with as close to perfect form as I can. The numbers will come eventually :)

Woah, my lower back is burnt.

Recovery drink! :)

Day 12: Lunch

So, Lunch today was leftovers from last night. Fried (light butter) garlic peppered chicken, brown rice, and mixed vegetables. I felt great, it tasted great, then I had a few tortilla chips that someone brought in and now my stomach is angry at me. I don't know if it was pissed that I ruined my tasty meal with some corn/salt. I didn't bring a snack today either, so hopefully I don't crash in the afternoon again.

I found this guy on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/SjacobG

He's been doing P90X since January 1st and showing ridiculous progress. I haven't watched through his weekly updates, but those kinds of results are really motivational.

I really miss the beachbody boards :) They should be back up today though! Woo!

Day 12: Morning After

Woo, Good night of sleep, and I feel pretty loose, though my back is sore (I see this being a repeat issue). Legs and Back are probably gonna kill me tonight :)

Not much else to say. :-D

Day 11: Yoga

Easily my least favorite exercise. I only made it 40 minutes before I was totally burnt. One bonus this time through vs. last time is I was able to do those first 40 minutes and that I could REALLY feel the stretch in my lower back (traditional problem area), hamstrings, calves, and hip flexors.

That is definitely my biggest problem area, it effects my ability in plyo, yoga, legs, and back exercises. It's my first failure point in all my exercises, and the cause for the failure in most of my technique. I want to work those, and I TOTALLY appreciate the stretch I get in Yoga for them, but I'm nervous I will hurt them. They don't hurt, they're just really weak. I'm going to stick to form > reps as all I can assume that they'll have a MUCH better workout if I do these exercises properly, even if the rest of my motions will be limited, for now.

Day 11: Hungry

Why am I hungry already? It's 11am, and I ate breakfast at 6:30 and had a snack at 9:30am. I have people telling me to snack whenever I get hungry, and others (including myself) telling me to wait the extra little bit for lunch time, or later.

Eating early also makes my afternoon DRAG, 5 hours after lunch is long enough thank you very much. I'm still not sure what to do about this, so I guess I will keep drinking water, and hold off until at least 11:30.

Day 11: Morning After

I'm perfectly fine today. I think the days of being absoluetly wrecked might be gone, at least for this set of workouts.

Things I've noticed:
I stand taller, I feel like I have better posture
I don't get tired/winded from just walking up stairs anymore (how embarassing)
I'm making steady progress in all my workouts.
I've lost 5 lbs in the last two weeks, but not so much in my gut. I think it's an overall slim down, and I'm bad for not taking my chest, arm, leg measurements before starting.

Good stuff abound, now it's time for work.

Day 10: Today

I should've posted around 3pm today because I was having an extreme moment. I was exhausted, completely wiped. I had a chicken bacon sandwich with lettuce and pickles for lunch, and 2.5 hours later I'm in a coma. Generally I bring carrots or broccoli to eat, but I didn't have anything today except my normal 4-8 glasses of water and I was completely useless for the last part of the day.

I'm doing well now, post-workout, aside from some indigestion, but the recovery drink is doing well at putting that down. I'll have to snack tomorrow afternoon again and see if that's a noticeable difference.

AND, the beachbody boards are down until the 10th, BOO.

Day 10: Take 3...4...yah, Shoulders and Arms!

Alt Shoulder Press: 12 @ 25lbs
In and Out Bicep Curls: 16 @ 25lbs
Two Arm Tricep Kickbacks: 10 @ 25lbs

Alt Shoulder Press: 12 @ 25lbs
In and Out Bicep Curls: 16 @ 25lbs
Two Arm Tricep Kickbacks: 10 @ 25lbs

Deep Swimmers Press: 10 @ 25lbs
Full Supination Curls: 10 @ 25lbs
Chair Dips: 10, 90 degree legs (heh, can't type after last workout)

Deep Swimmers Press: 11 @ 25lbs
Full Supination Curls: 10 @ 25lbs
Chair Dips: 15, 90 degree legs

Upright Rows: 12 @ 25lbs
Static Arm Curls: 16 @ 25lbs
Flip Grip Twist Kickbacks: 8 @ 12.5 lbs

Upright Rows: 12 @ 25lbs
Static Arm Curls: 16 @ 25lbs
Flip Grip Twist Kickbacks: 8 @ 12.5 lbs

Seated Shoulder Flys: 16 @ 25 lbs
Crouching Cohen Curls: 10 @ 25 lbs
Lying Down Tricep Extensions: 10 @ 25 lbs

Seated Shoulder Flys: 16 @ 25 lbs
Crouching Cohen Curls: 10 @ 25 lbs
Lying Down Tricep Extensions: 11 @ 25 lbs

Straight Arm Shoulder Flys: 16 @ 25 lbs
Congdon Curls: 10 @ 25 lbs
Side Tri Rise:
L: 9
R: 11

Straight Arm Shoulder Flys: 16 @ 25 lbs
Congdon Curls: 10 @ 25 lbs
Side Tri Rise:
L: 12
R: 12

Ab Ripper X once again kicks my butt, BUT I managed to do 10-15 of every exercise, and I didn't have to pause once. All of this is improvement, and that's all I'm looking at with this thing. Always moving forward.

Recovery Drink!! :-D

Day 10: Take 2

Wait what? What happened to Day 10 activities?

Life got in the way of my workout last night, so I'm pushing back my schedule. Sucks, but I figure it's ok.

Shoulders and Arms tonight, until then, Cheers!

Day 10: Morning After

Last week was "Well, I almost fell out of bed.". This week, my knees are a little sore, and my back and legs are tired, but no searing pain when I think about moving, and I can navigate stairs without an issue. I'd say that's a definite improvement.

I've done more of the workouts, and I feel better than I did last week. I think my body was just in shock and screaming, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?". Overall, I'm tired, and probably not looking forward to tonight's workout as much as I could be. Shoulders and Arms should be interesting.

At least it's Friday :)

Day 9: Plyo

Woo! I love this workout. Last week I had to take 1 to 1:30 breaks between every workout to keep my heart from pounding out of my chest. This week I went right along the entire workout and only modified about 6 of the exercises, but I never stopped.

Woo, I can't wait to be able to push through the whole thing, at speed. Hey, maybe I'll even keep up with the guy in back one day...


RECOVERY DRINK!!

Day 9: Morning After

Compared to a week ago, I'm on top of the world. There are still parts of me that are sore, like random spots on my back, and my legs a little bit, but all-in-all I'm mostly just tired, and I can still move around.

Breakfast consists of a 3 egg omelet with Double Gloucester cheese, and a nice glass of pomegranate juice. The last couple of days has really got me concerned about not following the diet. I keep telling myself, that just manage portions, and don't eat sweets, which I have been avoiding, but I don't know if the improvements I've been seeing are being stagnated by my diet. I have 81 days to go, and I'm already worried about this, ha.

I've read that some people hardly lose any weight in the first month, and suddenly dump a bunch in the second month, others shed quickly and then plateau on the fast loss, but build up mucho muscle. That will be cool if I do shed some weight, but I'm thinking Round 1 of P90x is for the workouts, and round 2 (my second 90 days) will be for the meals. I want the best chance for success, and I think both diet and workouts would really derail me on this go, especially since money is a constant issue.

Alright, breakfast is done, time for an incredibly hot shower and then off to work. Tonight is Plyo and I can't wait! :)

Day 8: Chest and Back Reps

I was bad and had a big mexican meal an hour before this workout. I feel like I have a huge weight strapped to my stomach. blah.

Standard Pushups: 15
Wide Front Pull-ups: 10 w/ chair
Military Push-ups: 3
Reverse Grip Chin-up: 7 w/ Chair
Wide Fly pushups: 8
Close Grip overhand Pull-ups: 5 w/ Chair
Decline Push-ups: 5
Heavy Pants: 15 @ 25lbs
Diamond Pushups: 1 << Owie, my back! (stretching for this one)
Lawnmowers:
R: 15 @ 25LBS
L: 15 @ 25LBS
Dive Bomber: 6
Back Flys: 15 @ 25lbs

Round 2:
Wide Front Pullups: 8 w/ chair
Standard Pushup: 5
Reverse Grip Pull: 5 w/ chair << Left shoulder is starting to hurt.
Military Push-ups: 3
Close Grip Overhand Pull-ups: 6 w/ chair
Wide Fly Push-ups: 6
Heavy Pants: 15 @ 25lbs
Decline Push-ups: 1, Could keep my back straight after that.
Lawnmowers:
L: 20 @ 25lbs
R: 20 @ 25lbs
Diamond Pushup: 0, couldn't get off the ground and I didn't want to hurt myself
Backflys: 15 @ 25lbs
Dive bomber pushups: 3

Ab-ripper X -- Yikes, I did better than last chest and back, but i still couldn't finish.

Next week, ABX is MINE! :) or at least, I'll finish it :p

Yay recovery drink.

Day 8: Sleep

I'm glad I got in the extra hour+ this morning. It means I can actually function, and look forward to tonight's workout! Granted, this will be after the driving range, so hopefully I'm not too tired already.

Day 8: Morning After

Maybe it was the mexican last night, but I feel weak in general. I'm anxious to see if I have any improvement with Chest and Back tonight. I have recollections of it just being crazy, and being exhausted the entire time, 7 days later, what will happen?

I think lots of stretching needs to be a daily routine for me. I can feel my muscles tightening up over the course of a day sitting at my desk and it's uncomfortable.

Ok, this is difficult to write, that means I need more sleep. I'm going to try to snag another 45 min round before I really have to get ready.

Goodnight (morning?)

Day 7: Rest

Thank goodness. Goodnight! :)

Day 7: Morning After

My Hamstrings continue to be an issue for me. Although! During hamstring stretches I was able to touch the floor, I do not remember the last time this was even remotely possible. Granted, it was fingertips, but that's ridiculous considering a week ago I was at least a foot away from the floor.

I'm seeing some seriously (subtle) positive gains here. Tonight is Stretch X, and then we start over again. I'm REALLY anxious to see how I do on Chest & Back again. That thing destroyed me last week, and made moving a non-trivial task for the following 4 days.

Tonight is going to be another messed up schedule like last night as I will be getting home late.

Day 6: Kempo X

This was fun. I'm totally drained though, just no energy. I think this is due to me messing up my workout schedule and starting at 9 and not 5:30, and working out after (hour after) I eat. Tomorrow will be better.

My general reaction to Kempo X was that it was a lot of fun, but I'm totally sapped of all strength. The muscles that got tired first were the muscles that stabilize the motion of my legs at the hip. Lifting my legs in a controlled manner became extremely difficult.

I need to shower and pass out now. Good night!

Day 6: Lunch

BLT salad today, so delicious. I did have some ranch dressing but it was on the side. yum yum yum.

I'm up to my fifth glass of water and as Tom posted on the beachbody website, my body is already starting to handle the extra fluids. I've been doing this level of water intake since the start of the program.

I'm excited for Kempo tonight. I have always been interested in martial arts, and it should be a killer. :)

Day 6: Morning After

I feel amazing. I can walk again, still a little sore, but I just feel good. I'm tired because I didn't sleep much, but overall I have more energy and the soreness is finally subsiding. I feel weak, but if last night is any indication, I'm actually stronger. I blew through the first two exercises of ab ripper X before having to take a break, and was like, wait, what? The first night on Ab Ripper X I flopped on the ground like a fish, and had zero ability/energy to do anything. To see such progress in 5 days is unheard of for me.

Breakfast today consists of a 3 egg omelete with Double Gloucester Cheese and a glass of OJ.

Weee.

Day 5: Legs and Back Reps

Balance Lunges: 10 L & R
Calf Raise Squats: 15 @ 25 lbs
Reverse Grip Chinups: 7 w/ Chair
Super Skaters:
L: 15 w/ tap
R: 18 w/ tap
Wall Squat: 1:30, 1 5 sec break
Wide Front Pull-ups: 6 w/ chair
Step Back Lunges: << form is hard!
R: 11
L: 10
Alternating Side Lunge: 16 @ 25 lbs
Close Grip Overhand Pull-ups: 3 w/ Chair
Single Leg Wall Squats: 45 degree base, with 45 degree leg lift
Dead Lift Squats:
L: 14
R: 14
Switch Grip Pull-ups: 2 & 2 w/ chair
Three Way Lunges: 5 and 5
Sneaky Lunges: 10
Reverse Grip Chin-ups: 2 w/ Chair
Chair Salutations: 10 sec / 15 sec
Toe Roll Iso Lunges: 4
Wide Front Pull-ups: 5
Groucho Walk: 16 << OUCH :) Shot an elephant in my pajamas last night, what he was doing in my pajamas, I have no idea.
Calf Raises: All @ 25 lbs
Close Grip Overhand Pullups: 4 / chair
80-20 Siebers Speed Squats:
L: 15
R: 15
Switch Grip Pull-ups: 2 / 2 w/ Chair

Ab Ripper X Completed! - I couldn't do all the reps, but I actually did almost (stupid reverse bicycle) the exercises! Ridiculous results from just last Wednesday. I'm excited :)

Time for recovery drink, then MORE stretching. :)

Day 5: Morning After

I did Yoga early yesterday to be able to visit friends and it gave me more time between that workout and my next this evening. My legs are less sore, and I'm happy for that, but I'm still worried that I will hurt myself. I'm going to stretch some more this morning, and tonight before I do the workout, but it's a worrisome thing. Gonna keep pushing it though. :)

Day 4: Music

Ok, so my only other real context for fitness videos is Tai Bo, and Mousecising (when I was 8) ;), and for those it seems the music is just a beat, something to dance or move to at a steady pace. 120 bpm to keep a steady groove.

I have to say I am REALLY impressed with the music in the P90X videos. It's a standard background-esque kind of thing for introductions and the credits, but completely fades out when the workout begins and you almost totally forget about it. Afterwards it comes in very very subtly to accent the workouts, the tone, and the mood. Last night with arms and shoulders Tony went into an awesome funny little inspirational speech that really got to the core of focusing your movements and "bringing it" and suddenly I noticed that his voice was raised and the swell of the music was pushing me right along. it was fantastic.

I noted the music again today in Yoga, not for it's motivation, but for really setting the mood. It took times of focus and gave a very subtle trance likes music quality to it. The OMs at the end made be laugh, but harmonics played over Tony's loud vocalizations made for almost a transcendental experience.

I left the workout, with that feeling, and focus and noticed how much I was focusing on everything I was doing, living in the moment, not worrying about other things, from in the shower to picking out my clothes, to even writing this post. There is a mental workout here as well, beyond that of the GO-GO-GO athletic push.

I am really enjoying P90X.

Day 4: Yoga

This has got to be the hardest thing for me. A good chunk of the exercises required arm and shoulder strength, and with my 285 lbs frame, that just can't happen for 1.5 hours. By the end, I could not even hold a fraction of my weight up. This is sad for me. I'm not a quitter, but I just could not finish this. I'm so glad I scanned the disk because I did do a lot of the on the ground leg exercises. This whole thing is a goal for me.

I have 86 days to go, so I'm not discouraged in the least.

Day 4: Morning After

I'm sore. I expected that, but my quads are toast. I spent 10 minutes just stretching them this morning and they're still weak. I had to come down the steps one at a time this morning. I'm going to spend more time stretching them, but oy.

Hopefully Yoga today will easier, or not be too strenuous on them. I will be modifying like mad if that's the case. Then again, I've never DONE Yoga, so I'm not quite sure how to modify ;)

Breakfast is egg and cheese on a plain bagel. I tried Egg Whites for my omelets, when I was doing that every morning, and they just have no taste whatsoever. I think I might try, one egg, and 3 egg whites. I'm a texture eater and just having egg whites is bland bland bland.

Ok, Yoga, Soon, Let's do this!

Day 3: Reps

Alt. Shoulder Press: 15 @ 20 lbs
In and Out Bicep Curls: 16
Two arm tricep kickbacks: 12

Alt. Shoulder Press: 10 @ 20 lbs
In and Out Bicep Curls: 20
Two arm tricep kickbacks: 10

Deep Swimmers Press: 12
Full Supination Concentration Curls: 15
Chair Dips: 14 Bent Legs

Deep Swimmers Press: 12
Full Supination Concentration Curls: 12
Chair Dips: 12 Bent Legs

Upright Rows: 15
Static Arm Curls: 16
Flip Grip Twist Kickbacks: 10 @ 10lbs

Upright Rows: 15
Static Arm Curls: 16
Flip Grip Twist Kickbacks: 10 @ 10lbs

Seated Shoulder Flys: 16
Crouching Cohen Curls: 12 on wall
Lying Down Tricep Extensions: 14

Seated Shoulder Flys: 16
Crouching Cohen Curls: 8 on wall
Lying Down Tricep Extensions: 12

Straight Arm Shoulder Flys: 16 @ 12.5 lbs
Condon Curls: 12
Side Tri Rise: 10 x2

Straight Arm Shoulder Flys: 16 @ 12.5 lbs
Condon Curls: 13
Side Tri Rise: 13 x2

I finished Ab Ripper X!! My goal was for 10 reps per exercise, I got about 10-15 so I'll be sure to push that a little more next time as well.

The best part of today is that it shook out a bunch of the soreness from Plyo. That alone is worth doing this workout! :)

Day 3: Day 1 Reps

Here is my listing of reps from Day 1: Chest and Back.

Forgive the short-hand.

normal push: 16
wide pull: 12 assisted
military: 5
reverse chin-up: 5
Wide push: 10
Close-grip, overhand pull: 3
Decline Push-up: 2
Heavy Pants: 22 @ 15lbs
Diamond: 1
Lawnmower: 20 @ 25 lbs
Dive Bomber: 5
Back Flys: 10 @ 25 lbs

Rd 2
Wide Pull: 6 assisted
normal push: 5
Reverse Chinup: 5
Military push: 10
close-grip, overhand pull: 5
Wide Fly PUsh: 1
Heavy Pants: 15 @ 25 lbs
Decline Pshups: 2
Lawnmower: 15 @ 25 lbs
Diamond: 2 knees
Back Flys: 5 @ 25lbs
Dive Bomber: 3

Wee.

Day 3: 3 Hours later

Honestly, every step I take is measured and an effort. I am not in pain, my legs are just completely blown. Stretched twice this morning, and had a 25 min (normally 15) walk from my car to the office. INsane.

I was thinking on my long walk that I wrote down all my reps accomplished for Day 1. I figure I'll post it here so there will be an online record for easier reference. That will be tonight.

Day 3: Morning After

Well, I almost fell out of bed. I've already had to go up and down the stairs this morning 4 times and each trip is like another workout. What's worse is my back is still sore from Day 1! I should spend some time stretching, specifically my hamstrings, and probably just overall.

Tonight is Shoulders and Arms. I'm praying that by tonight I have some more strength back.

Food:
So, I can't follow the diet. I'm living on a pretty tight budget, but overall I think I'm doing pretty well on staying at least under my calories. My carb intake is far too high though. Example, I had pasta last night and a bagel this morning (with egg and cheese and OJ). I think for my next shopping trip I'm going to look for some "manager meats" which are great day-of and sometimes up to 50% off! I have a craving for some chicken and pea pods over brown rice. yum.

Day 2: Plyo

Holy moly. I feared Plyo from the beachbody forums and for good reason. I couldn't keep up with the video, but not from heart rate, (maybe a couple of times), but it was mostly my quads could handle the 55 minutes of squat/jump, squat/jump. It didn't hurt, I just didn't have the strength.

Strech a lot for this, if you have the strength in the legs, just stay loose.

The recovery drink (Muscle Milk) once again is delicious. I can already tell I'm going to be dead tomorrow. I can barely walk after sitting for 15 minutes! :)

Can't wait for Shoulders and Arms tomorrow...yikes!

Day 2: Lunch

Just had my lunch, still the simple tuna sandwich on 12 grain bread, soo tasty. And a glass of water.

Something I've noticed so far today is that I'm becoming more and more sore. I work as a programmer and I don't do much physically, but even doing random things like reaching down to pick up a cable or adjusting in my chair makes me notice all the muscles I worked last night.

My goal tonight is to get home, take care of the dog, change up and get to it. I want to make sure I'm pushing through as soon as possible. My entire evening last night was pretty much P90X (and some video games). I want to make this part of my life, not my whole life.

Day 2: Morning After

Stiff, that is the best way to describe how I'm feeling. Maybe a little sore, but overall I'm good. I had some juice and fruit for breakfast as I ran out the door. I did oversleep a bit, but I don't sweat that, my body must have needed it.

I am looking forward for tonight. I beleive it's Plyo, and though I hear horror stories I'm up for the challenge. I found myself getting back into the spring training mindset from my high school football days. Oh, to be that fit again. :-D

89 days to go with this, my ultimate goal by the end is to make it a real lifestyle change.

Day 1: Chest and Back

Holy Crap. I did all of Chest and Back and only made it through half of Ab ripper X before I just could not move. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to think let alone move tomorrow, and I'm bringing my sister to the Airport at 5am.

As an added benefit the "Muscle Milk" I have as a recovery drink is delicious. This is a great treat and some to look forward to after my workouts.

Tony Horton is hilarious as a fitness coach on the DVDs and really puts out a ton of good healthy tips with humor throughout the exercise. I'm looking forward to the next disk, and I just want to keep it going.

Day 2, here I come.

Day 1: Before Pictures

Heaven Help all of you.







If that isn't motivation I don't know what is.

No more of this, ever.

Day 1: Feeling and Anticipation

It's come. Day 1. I'm psyched, and sadly still sore in my calves from the fitness test. what a loser :)

My headache was gone this morning, but I was still exhausted.

I picked up some broccoli, and carrots at the store, as well as some "Muscle Milk" since it seemed to have good stuff, and was relatively cheap. p90x on a budget is not ideal, but I'll do what I can.

The plan for tonight when I get home is to take my before pics (HAVE to do it tonight), and bust out chest and back. I'll post the images first, I promise!

Day 0: Well-being

One of the goals of this blog to keep track of my overall health, and well-being. What I will do to accomplish this is to make general well-being posts that note when I'm feeling particularly good or bad. Good activity today so far has been a great stimulating and humorous conversation with my friend over at Adventures on the Road to Success.

I went outside for a bit to enjoy the sun and lie down and relax for a minute at work. Unfortunatly I came back with a headache. A type of pressure in my head that makes me want to just close my eyes and not think. I'm going to go for a walk soon see if blood flow will help.

I'm anxious and excited for day 1 tomorrow.

Day 0: Lunch

I've been at work for 5 hour now and I'm on to my 5th glass of water. It's ok, I like water. I just want to keep my extraneous snacking down. I'm having two tuna sandwiches on 12 grain bread, but that's really more like "two more pieces of bread".

That is probably terrible but it's the same amount of tuna just divvy'd up. I wasn't feeling satisfied with just the one sandwich. I think I should bring some veggies to work to have with my sandwich as a side, then I can replace the carbs with something varied and tasty.

Grocery List:
Protein Bars for the week
Snacky veggies: carrots, broccoli, any suggestions?
Juice
Milk

Oo, I just remembed I have almonds at home!!

I need to look up some cheap recipes.

Lunch done, back to work.

Day 0: Team Beachbody Forums

I stumbled upon the Team beachbody forums. People use these to find kindred hearts, coaches, and others who are doing the program at the same time as they are.

One woman posted a week ago about started a group and has over 300 replies already. The feedback is all positive and amazing. Someone even has taken on the roll of keeping an accountability chart for the people in that group. Every day people post that they've done their workouts, or their questions and everyone cheers everyone else on.

Should be fun.

Day 0

Morning After:
Already I feel sore, just from the fitness test, woo! Time for breakfast, and some stretching.

Food:
I don't know it was just me being bored yesterday but I wanted to eat all day. I ended up having dinner about two hours earlier than I normally would, and went to bed by 8:30pm, partially so I would not be tempted to have a second dinner. I was VERY bored ;)

Breakfast: Egg on a Bagel. 350 calories.

Pictures:
I'm not sure where my camera is, so I'm going to do some tests with my laptop camera to take my "before" shots. I'll do that after work today. I just worry about the quality.

Day -1: The fitness test

P90X has you complete a fitness test prior to starting the program. This is to gauge your general well-being and determine IF you should be doing this program at all.

Honestly, this thing has scared me for the past two weeks, but today I finally did it. I will try to take my "before" pictures soon and post those as well.

The Facts:

Pre-Day 1:
Resting Heart Rate:96 bpm
Pull-Ups: .5
Vertical Leap:16in
Push-Ups: 17
Toe Touch: -4.5in
Wall Squat: 1:10 min
Bicep Curls: 30 @ 15lbs
In and Outs: 24
Heart Rate (Jumping Jacks for 2 min)
- Immediate:172 bpm
- 1 Min:146 bpm
- 2 Min:134 bpm
- 3 Min:130 bpm
- 4 Min:128 bpm


How I feel:
I feel weak mostly. The Jumping jacks and wall squat killed me. The jumping jacks sucked for the first minute until I found a rhythm and then getting to two minutes was just a matter of avoiding a heart attack. My chest did start to hurt right at the end, so I know not too push too hardly on the cardio in the future.

Food:
Money is an issue so I can't afford the supplements that come with P90x, but I'm going to try to stick the nutritional guidelines, limiting my calories for the first part, until I start to lose progress, and then bringing them back up to a reasonable level that will keep me going. You'll see my meals won't be the most healthful but my goal for round 1 of P90X is portion control.

All roads start somewhere.