The makings of a new Me.. The Man, The Body and The Soul!!

Day 37 - Shoulders, Arms and ARX

2009-10-27T11:44:00.002-04:00

Okay everyone.. it is obvious that I'm wayyyyyy behind on keeping up with the blog. I did knock out this routine in great fashion last week on Wednesday. I increased all the weights and I had great energy from start to finish. This is always my easiest workout because it is the areas where I am the strongest, so my heart rate doesn't get pushed much on this one. For the first time in a long time, I followed up the routine with the ARX. Because I haven't done it as much as I should have, it kicked my butt!!

So now.. I will catch you up with what has happened since Day 37.....

NOTHING!!! Nothing at all and I truly must apologize to all of you that are following me. Real life happened and I got caught up, so I am going to repeat this week once again.

On Last Thursday, my favorite music group, The Foreign Exchange, came to Baltimore and I met my cousin (my big brother) up there for a GREAT TIME!! Just to be in the presence of that great music and my family... we partied hard that night!! So hard in fact that Angel was hot with me cause I decided not to drive home cause my brother and I both had tipped the elbow a bit too much to make it home safely and we certainly didn't want to endanger any one else. I can not express to you how GREAT that evening was... if you haven't checked out that link on the blog for The Foreign Exchange, please treat yourself to it!!!

Anyway... that led to Friday being a bust because I did have to get up early to drive back home to get my son to school in the morning and make it to work. By the time I got off, I was barely able to keep my eyes open, so I went to bed. Saturday morning, me and the fam packed up to go to Omaha for a surprise birthday party for my mother in law. Needless to say, I had to get up early to pack up for that trip and with all of the excitement dealing with the party, when it was over, Angel and I went out with some friends.. No workout on that day either. So as you can see, the rest of the weekend followed this pattern on into yesterday when we flew home. By the time we got home, I was tired again, but we couldn't sleep. So since I didn't get any sleep, I couldn't get up at 5:45 to do the workout this AM and I have bowling this evening after work. See the domino effect here??

So... I've decided that starting tomorrow, I will finish out the week with cardio HIIT, stretching and Abs. I will restart week 6 again next Monday. I don't feel like playing catch up this week as I have a meeting with my partner tomorrow night, football practice on Thur and Friday night, 2 football games to attend on Sat (one in MD and the other in VA) plus trick or treating... time is not my friend this week. The only bright side to all of this is that I didn't eat excessively bad throughout all of this (with the exception of the love affair I had with the strawberry cream cheese cake at the party).

So.. this will all rewind back... I will do some cardio tonight after bowling (or maybe before if I can get out of work a little early today.. we'll see). I guess the theme for this round is Modify, Modify and Modify some more!! But hey.. I'm staying active, so it is all a positive!! :-)

Thanks again to all of you that are following me... I commit to myself and you guys that I will complete this cycle and keep on bringing it!!

Day 36 - Interval X Plus

2009-10-21T14:51:00.003-04:00

There just never seems to be enough time in the day anymore. I'm not getting to bed until midnight again, so that is making it tough to get up early to do the workouts because I'm not getting enough sleep. So I skipped the morning workout and I stressed the whole day because I have my bowling league on Tuesday nights that go from 6-10 and I rarely have any energy after that... especially because I've been on a skid lately and my average is wayyyyy down. Anyway....

I did get a chance to make it home just early enough to get this workout in. I really enjoy this workout, not only because of how challenging it is, but also because it is only 45 minutes total. I pushed hard and felt exhausted after the workout. I finished in just enough time leave for bowling. My intent to do doubles has so far not happened this week. I'm planning on doing the Back and Bi's workout at the gym so I can also do HIIT and Abs. I'm convinced that my waist is not budging until I can get in some consistent ab work. I feel like I'm behind the power curve right now and I have to play catch up!

By the way.. I want to thank all of you for leaving your encouraging comments. They do inspire me to keep pushing it!!

54 workouts to go...

Day 35 - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

2009-10-19T13:00:00.004-04:00

Today I felt GREAT!! No issues with my shoulders and none with my back. I was able to push harder on the push ups and the triceps. I kept the shoulder work pretty light, but heavier than my first week of phase 2. I was actually surprised at my stamina this morning for the workout. I haven't gotten up at 5:30 in a week and that wasn't even as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I'm very happy to be feeling 100% again, so maybe that helped.

55 more workouts to go!!!

Rehab Day 3-7

2009-10-19T12:45:00.002-04:00

I did 35 minutes of cardio on day 3 and then I rested up for the rest of the weekend.... I needed it and I feel 100% now and I'm ready to push it!! I've decided to finish out with doubles, so I will do 3 extra cardio workouts per week.

Rehab Day 2 - HIIT and Abs

2009-10-13T15:32:00.002-04:00

I got up this morning and was feeling a little better. I refuse to allow myself to take too much time off because my natural tendency is to associate being off from working out as a license to eat poorly. Last night was a prime example.. I went shopping for the right food but ended up eating 3 slices of pizza for dinner instead. In order to keep myself in order, I have to be getting some kinda of exercise in. I went into the gym and did 35 minutes of HIIT training and I did 2 exercises each for my upper abs, lower abs and obliques. I'll probably do the same for the rest of the week. I'm gonna do the stretch tonight when I get home from bowling.

My shoulder is feeling better, but my neck and back are still in a bit of pain from the fall. I hope to be ready for next monday to get back on the P90X grind!!

Rehab day 1....

2009-10-13T15:31:00.002-04:00

I did nothing again today.. I was in pain all day and after work I just wanted to relax.

Day 34 - Rest day

2009-10-13T15:09:00.002-04:00

So.. Today was supposed to be my stretch day.. and the start of a week of just doing HIIT Training and I did wake up with that in mind. The only problem is that I was trying to carry an empty Champange bottle, 2 empty champange flutes and a glass of water down the stairs... and I missed the first step. I went tumbling down the stairs, the glass with the water in it went flying (throwing water every where), my back hit every step (leaving a piece of skin on each one) and the heel of my foot went straight thru the wall.

That said.. I didn't do much for the rest of the day but take pain meds and try to relax. If I didn't need a rehab week before, I certainly need one now!!

Day 33 - Interval Training and Abs

2009-10-10T21:57:00.003-04:00

I have made the decision today to take a week break from P90X in order to allow my shoulder to heal. I've decided to stay active doing Interval training all week and doing the stretch 3 days and an abs routine at the gym 3 days.

I went to the gym this morning and was able to do the interval training without any pain in my shoulder, even though I was doing a full stride sprint. I pressed each interval until my heart rate was at a minimum of 165 beats per minute. I was even able to get it up to 181 beats per minute for the max. I only did a couple of exercises for abs because I was short on time. I had to do 2 football games again today.. one in VA and one in MD. Both of my boys had a victory today (Proud Papa)!!! :-)

I guess with that.. I will suspend my countdown on Sunday and I will start back on my P90X phase 2, week 2 on the following Monday.

57 workouts to go....

Day 32 - Legs and Back

2009-10-09T11:59:00.002-04:00

I guess it was just a matter of time before I had to type this.... I'm injured and it SUCKS AZZ!! The other day I blogged about how different the pull ups are doing them on a real pull up bar, as opposed to the thing I use at home. Now, I realize the difference... At home, I don't trust that it will hold my full weight, so I always use a chair so it is MUCH easier to do tons of pull ups. The other day I was only able to do half as many on the real pull up bar, but today, I wanted to really BRING IT, so I went all out for it. In doing that, I pulled something in my shoulder and I'm in some pretty decent pain right now when I lift my arm. I'm going to rest it for the weekend, so instead of doing Kenpo tomorrow, I'll go do HIIT and abs again.

I had a great workout today outside of that. Instead of working out with the video, I took the spreadsheet to the gym and went thru them in order. I was actually able to keep my heart rate up higher than when I do it with the video. I'm really hoping I didn't do any major damage to my shoulder. I'll keep you posted!!

58 workouts to go....

Just a thought...

2009-10-08T23:00:00.003-04:00

I've been giving a lot of thought about what I want my overall results to look like.. My son's have gotten me into watching wrestling these days where there are TONS of steriod freaks with muscles all over the place, but the one guy that came to mind of what I'd like to look like was Stone Cold Steve Austin!! He was always my favorite wrestler...

This to me is a toned grown man look. I don't know that I want to be all extra ripped up.. just a very nice tone where my abs are showing.. and NO BACK FAT!!! hahaha

Day 31 - Interval Training and Abs

2009-10-08T21:20:00.003-04:00

Today was another good workout day. I opted to do Interval Training and abs today instead of Yoga X. For some reason, laying around on a hotel floor just wasn't appealing to me. LOL They have some 'decent' treadmills, so I did several intervals of sprints/jogging where I got my heart rate up to 165 and then back down to the 130's. After that I did abs and I have to say it was nice to actually have some equipment to do abs with.. namely a bench to do abs on. I was able to do a routine and not have back pain, so I think I've figured out what I need to do from this point on... I will hit the gym to do an ab routine 3 days a week and I will probably throw in some intervals while I'm there.

So.. now that my trip to Boston is over tomorrow, I have to say that this has been one of my better business trips. I'm training at a company called Ab Initio.. and they have got to be one of the best companies I've ever seen. They have some of the smartest folks I've seen working for them and they are also the healthiest group of folks I've seen in some time.. the company even sponsors a gourmet chef to cook them their meals. I've even become a tea addict and I will be hitting TeaVana when I get home to DC this weekend... Japanese Green Tea with some Mint leaves and honey.. MMMMMM!!! :-) For all the worrying I did about keeping on task this week, this has been my best eating week since I started this cycle of P90X. I'm kinda hating it is gonna end, but I now know I need to step it up a bit. I'm so hyped right now about dropping down. My body is looking better by the day and now that I can keep my back from hurting, this is all that much better!!

59 workouts to go...

Day 30 - Back and Biceps

2009-10-07T22:07:00.002-04:00

Well... surprise, surprise!! All of the paranoya I had about having to switch up my week was for nothing. I was able to get this workout in on time and I actually learned something very valuable. The exercise room here has dumbbells and a nautilus machine with multiple pull up bars, so I was finally able to do some for real pull ups instead of the bs ones that I do with that bar in my door frame. What I learned was that using a true pull up bar is SOOOOOOOOO much harder. I was only able to do half as many pull ups as I'm able to do at home.

I thought I'd be able to take my laptop to the exercise room to follow along with it, but this stupid computer doesn't have a true dvd player software package.. and I didn't have time to download one. I ended up having to write down each of the exercises and I did them in the proper sequence. I tried to keep my intensity up, but I ended up pressing thru without as many breaks as they give on the video. I had my trusty heart rate monitor on, so I was sure I was Bringing It!! I got a great pump in my arms and back, but I now want to get a power tower for my home to get the true benefits of the pull ups. Also, if anyone knows of a good abs program, let me know. I'm going to have to find replacement exercises for the fifer scissors, heels to the heavens and hip rock/raise. I hate having this pain in my lower back.

Also.. if anyone has taken a look at that new program, Intensity (from the hip hop abs guy), let me know what you think of it.

60 work outs to go....

Day 29 - Plyo X and ARX

2009-10-07T12:56:00.002-04:00

I have to say that I love this little hotel up here... it has everything I need to maintain my P90X intensity!!! I got up this morning and popped the DVD in the player and knocked out Plyo. I had enough room to jump around and do all of the crazy exercises and I'm on the first floor so no one could complain about it! When I was done, I had my fat-free choc milk for the recovery drink and then I cooked my egg whites w/cheese and turkey bacon in the room!

At lunch, the company that I'm up in Boston taking the class from is an ultra healthy place and they served Kale green w/potato soup for lunch along with some type of baked cod with red peppers! I drank a ton of water so the restroom trips are FREQUENT.. to the point I may have to cut back a bit on the water.

I brought my snacks along, so I had my Muscle Milk shake, turkey jerky and chocolate covered almonds. They have tempting snacks in this place but I've resisted well.

For dinner, I got to PF Chang's and had Orange Peel shrimp w/brown rice and a nice glass of Pinot Noir! :-)

I got back to the hotel and did the ARX and I realized something. I'm not getting the same reduction in my waist this time around because I haven't been doing ARX as often as has been because some of the exercises hurt my back. I'm thinking that all of the lower back exercises are the culprits. I'm going to have to figure that out because I do want the ab definition.

61 workouts to go....

Day 28 - Chest, Shoulders and Tri's

2009-10-05T14:52:00.002-04:00

Today's workout was pretty decent. It wasn't as good as it could have been, but I was rushed this morning trying to get packed for a business trip, filling out paperwork and doing a conference call. I'm currently using the in flight internet to submit this post... VERY COOL!! :-) Anyway, I had surely forgot how difficult this routine was. It pushed me to the limit and I burned tons of calories doing it. I still have my abs to do this evening, but I'm out of town with nothing else to do, so I will probably do extra interval training this week to try to help knock off some of the back fat on those pics!

My first stop when I get to Boston will be the grocery store, after I get checked in to make sure the kitchen in my room has what I need in it to cook my meals. I've found that the eating out is my downfall. As I said before, I'm doing about 85% of where I want to be on the diet, but I'm trying to do 2 things... 1. Keep my caloric intake below 2500 calories and 2. Maintain a diet that is liveable which includes eating some of the things I enjoy and having a beer or glass of wine in very limited quantities. I'm kinda winging it on the diet, but it does seem to be working so far. I know I will have to increase my protein intake a tad more than I did in the first phase and I will also have to get back to having more vegetables.

When I take my 60 day pics.. I really want to see a big difference!!

62 workouts to go....

Day 27 - 30 day results day...

2009-10-04T19:59:00.004-04:00

So.. my results after 30 days are decent, but not as good, photogenically, as I would have thought they'd be. I've lost nearly 20lbs this first 30 days and I feel like I look a million times better than I did a month ago. I'm posting pics that to me look about the same, but I do have to remember that the pants I had on in the first pics are a size 42 and the second pics are a size 38 (and they are starting to be a bit baggy now). It's amazing to me how I seem to lose my butt before other things melt off. I also took my measurements and they weren't as well as I thought they'd be either. Oh well.. I guess that means I need to tighten it down for this second phase to get to where I want to be. I've done about 85-90% of where I wanted to be on the diet, but I need 110% in order to get there...

So.. here are the measurements:

Day 1:
neck: 17.75
chest: 49
arms: 19.5
waist: 45.5
hips: 47.5
thigh: 27

Day 30:
neck: 17 (-.75 in)
chest: 47.5 (-1.5 in)
arms: 19 (-.5 in)
waist: 44 (42.5 this morning when I took it) (-3 in)
hips: 48 (+.5 in)
thigh: 26 (-1 in)

So.. here are the pics...

Again.. not fab results.. but decent. I need to bring it more. I've decided since I'm out of town next week, my schedule will be as follows:
Mon - Chest, Tri's, Shoulders
Tues - Plyo (or Interval X +)
Wed - Kenpo X
Thur - Yoga X
Fri - Legs, Back
Sat - Stretch
Sun - Biceps and Back

I will get back on track the following week. My rationale for the schedule is that way I don't have to worry about not having bands or a pull up bar while I'm out of town. I'm also going to probably do doubles all week since I will have the time. So that will include cardio sprint cycles in the evening.. Wish me luck!!!

63 workouts to go...

Day 26 - Walking (instead of Yoga)

2009-10-04T19:55:00.003-04:00

Today, I had to settle for a nice walk and doing the chains at the football games for my sons. My Saturday's are now swamped from morning tonight with football games. I'm happy that at least one of my son's teams got a win today.. 34-6. They are now 1-2 and my other's son team took a loss and they are now 1-3. My eating today was less than stellar, but we did have to go out and celebrate the first victory for the Gainesville Grizzlies!! Hopefully, they both will be on track for a victory next weekend.

64 workouts to go...

Day 25 - Core Synergistics

2009-10-04T14:42:00.003-04:00

This workout was another really good one for me. I pushed thru all of the routine and got a great pump from it. I do have to admit that it's been hard to focus on this week, because my mind has been on how to get the first week of phase 2 done while out of town.

As usual, this post is a day or so after I did the routine. It's kinda funny how I have so little time this cycle of P90X, when I had so much on the first go around. I lived for this blog the first time and this time, I'm getting to it when I can. I guess that's how life is.

65 workouts left....

Day 24 - Kenpo Cardio X

2009-10-01T22:28:00.001-04:00

Modify, Modify, Modify.....

I'm loving this workout more each time I do it. I'm actually a day late with it due to a very long, frustrating transaction last night with selling my car. I had gotten dressed, had the DVD in, but it just didn't happen because what should have taken 30 minutes took 4 hours... ANYWAY..

Tonight's workout was great. I kept pace with Tony and the crew and that is saying a lot for this P90X+ workout!! I intended on doing a double today with adding in the stretch, but I think I'll opt out of the stretch. I'm gonna get up early to knock out the core workout and I may double up tomorrow and do the stretch in the evening when I get home from picking up the kids from football practice.

66 workouts to go...

Day 23 - Inadvertent Rest Day

2009-10-01T22:05:00.005-04:00

Don't ask... very long story.. I'm pissed and will double up on day 24.

Day 22 - Core Synergistics

2009-09-30T00:20:00.002-04:00

I had a really good workout today. I was still ill this morning, but again, I'm on a mission to be fit and nothing will stop me. This was another routine that I had forgotten how tough it was. I really pushed thru on it today though. I kept up very well with the group and the only exercise I still refuse to do is the Dreya Roll. Other than that, I did well. I'm out of the P90X recovery drink, but I have my trusty ol low-fat chocolate milk as a stand by until the new tub of it arrives.

Angel (my wife for those of you who don't know that's her nickname), finally talked me into going to see the Dr. to make sure I didn't have the H1N1 Flu and fortunately I didn't. I do have an upper respitory infection though, so that explains why I've been so out of it lately. I picked up my meds and I'm hoping to be back at full strength by the end of the week. Next week I have to go out of town for a business trip, so I'm gonna have to invest in a set of bands to do my workouts in a hotel. I'm gonna have to preview the workouts again to be sure I can get them done while I'm out of town. I may have to juggle a couple of them around in order to not have to have subpar workouts.

Anyway... Kenpo X in the morning..

68 workouts to go!!

Day 21 - Yoga X

2009-09-30T00:07:00.003-04:00

I was still pretty ill today, but since this was the first day of the recovery week, I refused to let illness keep me from bringing it. I didn't dawn on me until I was in to the moving Asana's that I haven't done Yoga at all this time around and boy did this routine kick my butt. I know better than to skip thru this one again... I really enjoyed the toughness of it. I know many people find this routine boring, but I only see the challenge in it. I brought it as best as I could, but just like during my first time doing P90X, I was unable to get much past warrior 3. I was able to tough it out thru most of the rest of the routine, but the illness kicked in, so I did my best and forgot the rest!! LOL

69 workouts to go...

Day 20 - Forced Rest day

2009-09-30T00:04:00.002-04:00

I was ill on day 20 so I didn't do the Yoga or Stretch X as planned. I rested and caught some good football games. I had a fever for the best part of the day and lots of congestion, but all in all it was a good day.

70 workouts to go...

Day 19 - Kenpo Cardio X

2009-09-26T20:15:00.002-04:00

This is a very intense workout.. much more so than it's P90X counterpart. I love it because I'm able to get the same calorie burn in much less time. I was able to keep up very well with this routine, even though I haven't done it in quite some time. I was in another time crunch today because I had to make 2 footballs games again. I'm on this schedule until the end of Oct. when the boys seasons are over. Unfortunately, both of the boys teams lost again today. I truly hope this is a trend that is broken soon.

So.. I'm really glad to nearly be at the end of the first phase because I haven't gotten this far in my last two attempts to redo P90X.. but today after the workout, I got a bad bug that has me down a bit. I'm just trying to stay hydrated and rest so that I'll be ready for Yoga tomorrow and the recovery week next week. I do recall that the core routine is pretty intense and I want to be ready for it!!

71 workouts to go...

Day 18 - Legs and Back

2009-09-25T21:32:00.002-04:00

I had a great workout today and my legs are feeling much stronger. I was able to push myself harder this go around and my knees felt strong throughout the routine. I'm still avoiding the wall squats because that seems to tweak my knees, but I'm blasting thru the rest of the routine.

It is amazing watching my body transform again. I'm able to fit comfortably back into my 'small guy' jeans from the first cycle of P90X and I'm hoping that these will become my 'fat boy' jeans shortly. I will increase my carbs by a serving or 2 on the second phase. I've been keeping my caloric intake down below 2500 so far, and I may increase it up to 2500 for the second phase with the extra carbs so I can push harder to burn.

72 workouts to go..

Day 17 - Rest day

2009-09-25T21:30:00.002-04:00

It looks like Thursdays are my regular rest days... I am not trying to push myself to the point of injury like I had before, so I don't mind taking a day of rest. I'm almost done with my first phase and I'm very happy with my progress so far. I know I need to bring it on the next two phases in order to reach my goal, but I'm ready!!

73 workouts to go...

Day 16 - Shoulders and Arms

2009-09-24T07:07:00.003-04:00

Today I felt very strong so I finally started increasing the weight that I used for this routine. It's been 3 weeks now with little to no shoulder pain, so I felt confident about the increase. I pushed thru this workout and got a great pump. It helped knowing this is the last time I'd being doing this one for a month, until I hit phase III. It is hard to believe it's been 3 weeks already and next week is the recovery week. My weight loss has slowed down, but I can see a huge difference in the mirror. I'm able to fit back in my size 38 jeans again without feeling uncomfortable and I can't wait until they are a bit baggy!!

74 workouts to go....

Day 15 - Interval X +

2009-09-24T06:58:00.002-04:00

Today I was running short of time, so I swapped out Interval X + for my normal Plyo routine. I'd done this a lot during my first round, because I was able to burn the same amount of calories in a shorter amount of time. It had been quite a while since I've done this routine and it kicked my butt. Well, the Carlito's pushups did. This workout is VERY intense, but it gets the job done in a timely fashion!! I think I'm gonna take a look at Tony's 10 minute series when I'm done with this round in order to maintain my progress for a couple months before redoing another P90X cycle. I'm really hungry for it again... not sure if it is because of the fact that I gained the weight back or enough time has passed for me to get motivated for it again. All I do know is that I will not let it slip past me again.

75 workouts to go...

Day 14 - Chest, Back and ARX

2009-09-21T12:36:00.002-04:00

This morning was a VERY good workout. I was able to push out more reps on each set of push ups and I had great energy throughout the workout. I think knowing that this was my last time seeing this workout for another month helped me mentally! Another bonus for me was that I've always stopped on the 2nd week on my other retry attempts, but this time I was up and ready to go!! I'm excited all over again to see my body transforming right in front of my eyes. I didn't lose 15lbs like I did the first week, but I also didn't expect to. I lost about 3lbs last week and another .5 inch off the waist, so I'm netting an inch a week so far. I'm going to have to suck it up and push hard because I want to maintain that rate until I drop down another 8 inches!!

I will knock out ARX when I get home tonight. I'm still struggling with those, but I'm sure I will have them down by the middle of phase 2, like I did the first time! I also going to officially cancel my gym membership this week!!

76 workouts to go!!

Day 13 - Rest/Neighborhood Walk

2009-09-21T12:32:00.003-04:00

I was exhausted from the extra long day on Saturday, so I opted for another rest day. I did do a walk with my son in the neighborhood, so I didn't completely waste the day away doing nothing. I was hoping to end the day with my Cowboys getting a win in their big new stadium, but oh well... I guess none of my boys were gonna get a win this weekend.

77 workouts to go!

Day 12 - Kenpo X

2009-09-21T12:23:00.003-04:00

I'm keeping up with the workouts, but falling behind on the blog!! hahaha So, on Sat morning, I got up and did Kenpo. It was a decent workout, but I was distracted towards the end. Both of my sons had football games and I was working out with very little time to get everyone ready and out of the house. Regardless of that, I did push thru and make it to the games on time. It was a very long day and both of my sons teams' took a 'L'... :-( Oh well, they are gaining valuable experience and I got more exercise pacing up and down the sidelines watching them play.

Angel and I passed out on the couch not long after dinner and then we woke up just in time to catch the Mayweather fight!!

78 workouts to go....

Day 11 - Legs and Back

2009-09-18T22:56:00.002-04:00

Today was a decent workout day. I didn't get up and do the workout, just like I didn't last week, because I had to be at work extra early. After a long day at work... eating outside of the plan for the first time (blowing my 2500 calories for the first time in 2 weeks).. I got it in. I had a pretty decent workout, all things considered. My knees are still a tad bit off with some slight pain when I do some exercises, but they held up pretty well tonight. Once again, I'm pushing my ARX until tomorrow. I'm just dog tired and about to get some sleep!!

79 workouts to go... Bringing it!!

Day 10 - Rest day

2009-09-18T22:54:00.001-04:00

I had to listen to my body today and rest. I worked hard today... 13 hours including the commute and then I had to go to my son's football practice to get him. After that I had to cook, because Angel was at a church group meeting... so once that was all said and done, I slept like a baby!!!

80 workouts to go!!

Day 9 - Shoulders, Arms and ARX

2009-09-16T19:54:00.002-04:00

Today was another good shoulder day!! I'm very happy to not have to deal with that pain that I had in my shoulder during the summer. I did another light lifting day, but it was still effective in giving me a good burn. Instead of lifting heavier weights, I focus on the actual movement and form. That increases the intensity of the movement and leaves me with a great pump. Once again, I didn't do the bonus round of this session and I didn't do the chair dips because they cause me pain. I opted to do some different dumbbell presses instead of the dips. My shoulders and arms are my best body parts, so I'm okay with going lighter. I certainly do not want to gain anymore muscle in those areas... clothes are too expensive these days!! haha

I still have ARX yet to do, but I will get it in tonight! Work is getting more hectic, but I'm still pressing thru! My body is responding well to this training, probably better than it did the first time, so I'm excited to keep it going.

By the way.. I have to say that I'm glad to know my original team (Boomer and Christine) are still around to check on me. I'd have not made it thru the first round without them!! ;-)

81 workouts to go!!

Day 8 - Chest, Back and ARX

2009-09-14T14:47:00.002-04:00

Wow.. week 2 and I am still getting up in the morning to work out!! :-) This morning was a pretty good workout. I felt much stronger today than I did a week ago and I'm not nearly as sore afterwards. My body is snapping back into shape and remembering that I was a Spartan only a few months ago. I was able to increase my reps on all of my push up's and I was able to drop even deeper on my pull up's. I have to admit that I am amazed and fired up that I lost 15lbs and 1.5 inches off of my waist in a week. It is fueling me wanting to push harder and to make sure that I get further on this round of P90X than I did the first time. My old friend, Boomer (www.projectexercise.com), had the right idea... limiting my calories to lower than what the program calls for seems to be a good thing. At least for now it is.

As always, I will do my ARX later after I get back from my son's football practice. Hopefully, T.O. will be doing his thing tonight against the Patriot's. He inspires me to want to have a more ripped body!! I was watching his reality show and he was on the beach running with his shirt off. I know my wife would kill me, but I'd like to have that type of body to do that. I'm on the way there!!

82 workouts to go!!

Day 7 - X Stretch

2009-09-14T14:33:00.003-04:00

I know, I know.. I was supposed to do yoga, but I let time get away from me. I was watching football, folding clothes (wifey mandated, of course) and just goofing off for the most part of the day. Then the VMA's came on and I just wasn't in the mood anymore to do Yoga. I really enjoyed it the first time I did P90X, so I'm sure I will again.. just not on the first week. So, with that said, there is nothing to really tell with stretch other than I loved it. It was very relaxing and much needed!

By the way.. this entry is a day late! hahaha I was really relaxing yesterday!

83 workouts to go!

Day 6 - Kenpo X

2009-09-12T20:31:00.002-04:00

I had a great workout this morning!! This week has been a really good one. I've eaten on point all week and I've also pushed hard in all of the workouts. Believe it or not.. I've dropped 14-15lbs in a week. I guess I was really bloated and holding on to lots of waters. I'm back down to 265 as of this morning. I'm not going to take too much stock in the weight loss. I'm all about losing inches this time around!!

Anyway, back to the workout.. I was able to keep pace with it and my heart rate was pushed hard during the punch combo series. I am debating doing the X Stretch again tonight because I'm really wanting to push harder next week. I still have my abs to do tonight, but I like doing them just prior to going to bed. I'm looking forward to getting up doing Yoga in the morning.

On a side note.. I've promised myself no cheat meal until I've made it thru the first phase... but I sure could go for a coke float after a week of eating perfect... hahaha

84 workouts to go...

Day 5 - Legs and Back

2009-09-12T00:26:00.002-04:00

Tonight was a really good workout. I felt pretty energetic and my knees held out well during this session. I was able to keep up with Tony and the crew for the majority of the session, but I did opt out of the wall squat and single leg wall squat. I had planned on getting up early this morning to do the workout, but I overslept, probably due to the late night stretch routine last night. This week has been mostly on task with me getting up early to do the workouts.. 3/5 days anyway. I can live with that. I ended up going to the movies directly after the workout, so I am gonna do my ARX in the morning with Kenpo.

85 workouts to go...

Day 4 - X Stretch

2009-09-11T00:23:00.003-04:00

I had to swap out the Yoga today and do the X Stretch. The reason being, I simply didn't have time to get in 1.5 hours of Yoga. During my first time thru P90X, I had started swapping out these 2 workouts, so I didn't mind it today. Sunday morning just seems more fitting to me to do Yoga. Besides that, I didn't make it back home until about 10pm and I didn't get started with the X Stretch until 11, so I barely got it in. I really enjoyed it and I needed it very much. My muscles are still very sore from the workouts earlier in the week. It is past midnight and I'm planning on getting up to do the Leg and Back workout, so I must cut this short.

By the way, I did attempt to get in ARX last night, but by the time I got to the 5th exercise, I had to abort that mission due to pain and soreness. I really have gone back to the novice level with some of these workouts. I hope Legs and Back don't kill me tomorrow!

86 workouts to go!

Day 3 - Shoulder, Arms and ARX

2009-09-09T15:30:00.002-04:00

I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised today. I was very worried about working my shoulders because this was the workout that would always cause me to quit before due to the pain it caused. My game plan was to go extremely light with my shoulders because my shoulders already look pretty decent. That seemed to work really well, because I didn't feel the shooting pain that I've felt before when doing this routine. I did, however, feel a bit of a tweak when I was doing the full twist curl exercise. I think I will continue to go light on this routine until phase 2. I should hopefully be feeling better/stronger by then. I've not done my ARX yet, but I will do that this evening prior to going to bed, just before my protein shake. This was also another good eating day. So far, so good!!

87 workouts to go!!

Day 2 - Plyometrics

2009-09-08T22:30:00.003-04:00

Today was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm very sore from the day 1 activities, but I had been doing Plyo on and off during my party break, so I was able to keep up pretty well. I've noticed that with the weight gain, I have some aches and pains that I had rid myself of when the weight was off. My knee is a little tricky right now, so I have to watch out for it, but all in all, I had a great workout. My eating always goes better when I have to go into the office, so I was really on point today with it. I checked my sample diet with an online calorie counting tool and I was right at 2400 calories. That is 1000 short of what P90X calls for, but again, I'm hoping that my body pulls from the stored fat for the extra energy needed!

I have to go to work early tomorrow, so that means I have to get up extra early because I'm determined to do these workouts in the mornings. There is so much going on in the day now for me that I don't want to risk not getting a workout in.

88 workouts to go!!

Day 1 - Chest, Back and ARX

2009-09-07T19:28:00.003-04:00

Today's workout was brutal. I know that I've taken a break, but geesh.. this almost felt worse than the original day 1 I had. I was able to keep do a decent amount of push-ups for round 1 and 2, but I did have to push pause more than a few times. During my break, I did continue to do the cardio exercises on occasion, but I stayed away from any of the 'real' workouts. All in all.. it was a good workout. I know my body enough to know that I should be back in form by next week to at least keep up without the pause button.

I've not done the ARX yet because I want to do it just prior to bed. I forgotten how difficult it is to stay on time with eating 5-6 meals a day. It was always harder on the weekends, so that is why today felt slightly off. I'm still pumped and ready to go though, so that is a good thing.

I took my day 1 pics today and I can't say how disappointed I am that I gained the dreaded back fat back again!! hahahaha Here goes my fat boy shots:

Update:
I did the ARX and it completely kicked my butt!!! I was able to knock out most of the exercises in decent form, but the Hip Rock N Raise and the Heels to the Heavens caused me some lower back back so I opted out of those. My Mason twist form was also not good, but those always did give me problems.

I got on the scale and confirmed what the pics show.. I'm heavier now than back in Jan.. I'm sitting at 279. I have a long hard road down to 230, but I'm taking it a day at a time!!

I'm back again...

2009-09-06T22:00:00.002-04:00

It seems like forever since I've looked at this blog. According to my last post, I haven't done anything since May 30th, but I did continue trying to do a second round. Instead of blogging about it, I started posting on Facebook because I had a little more feedback on there to try to keep myself motivated. I tried 3 times to do a second round and each time, I'd stop after week 2. I finally gave up and said that I'd just enjoy the summer and start back after labor day. I truly did just that. I got it in... I partied every weekend of the summer. In doing so, I lost almost all of the gains I made during that first cycle of P90X. Even though I really enjoyed my downtime, I'm very disappointed that I'm nearly starting over from scratch... but as I always say, it is what it is.

I do have an added confidence this time around because I know that I have the ability to transform my body and I have new motivation to do so. My goal this time is to get my waist down to 35 inches. Anything more than that is unacceptable!! I'm modifying the meal plan this time around to keep my calorie intake at 2500 per day until my body starts demanding more. I think I have enough body fat reserve to be able to handle the lower intake. The P90X guide suggests 3500+, but I think that is what contributed to me falling short a bit the first time. So.. with that said, here are the starting measurements this go around:

neck: 17.75 3/4
chest: 49
arms: 19.5 1/2
waist: 45.5 1/2
hips: 47.5
thigh: 27

My eating plan this time will be pretty simple. Here is a sample of what I plan on doing...

Breakfast:
6 egg whites
1 slice of low fat cheese
4 strips of turkey bacon

Snack 1:
1 oz almonds
1 oz turkey jerky

lunch:
sandwich
whole grain bread
lettuce
tomato
slice of low fat cheese
6 oz turkey
1 tsp fat free mayo

Snack 2:
1 oz almonds
1 oz turkey jerky

dinner:
6 oz fish
2 cups of steam veggies

I will also throw in a protein shake and a recovery drink after the workout. I plan on taking my Juice Plus vitamins and 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar daily.

I will post my before pics sometime this week.

Round 2, Day 13 - Legs and Back

2009-05-30T08:53:00.005-04:00

I had a really good L&B workout. I was able to get lower and I really focused on my form for all of the exercises!! For whatever reason, my body is reacting different on this round of P90X than on the first one. During the first round, I had issues doing a lot of the leg exercises dealing with squats because of knee pain. This time around, the knees are good, but my shoulders are in pain on shoulder days... go figure!

My eating has been much better since I started using the calorie counting program recommended to me by Pat (www.caloriecount.about.com)!! According to their calculations, I was consuming probably 1000+ too many calories in order to lose weight. I know the P90X program isn't about weight loss, but this round is what it is about for me... I will have to increase my protein even more with only consuming just shy of 2600 calories per day.

By the way.. since I didn't do any pics this go around, here is what I'm looking like these days..

So.. even with all the time off, I didn't go backwards too bad. I'm not banking on losing too much weight yet, until I can get the food in check. Yesterday I was doing well until I went to a graduation party for our friends' son, Jordan. Shout out to the Steptoe family for always throwing a great party.. the food was great and I indulged a bit more than I should have... 3 glasses of red wine and a slice and a half of cake.. the rest of what I ate was actually pretty decent as far as the health content. I cut my calories early in the day because I knew I'd be eating good at the party so I didn't shoot too far off the reservation with my calorie count.

I got a chance to see one of the guys that give me motivation to continue to Bring It... Harland (http://cleanseyourselftoday.blogspot.com)!! This guy.. I met him at a cookout at the Steptoe's home (that is our party home away from home) and he was a big guy like me at the time, probably a bit bigger than me actually. Well, he lost a TON of weight over the last year using Isagenix and now he is doing P90X to transform into a Spartan and he is BRINGING IT like Boomer (www.projectexercise.com). I'm in awe of these two gents because they are doing P90X and throwing in all kinds of extra stuff on top of it. I say all of that to say this.. it is really cool to meet people with a common interest of taking their body to the height of conditioning! We P90X'ers are a special breed! We also have to stick together and support each other because people that aren't doing the program have a difficult time understanding why we do what we do! ;-) I'd like to welcome my friend, Sheng, to the P90X family!! I'm sure you are gonna have great results.. just stick to the plan and it's yours to have!!

Round 2, Day 12 - Cardio X

2009-05-29T00:45:00.004-04:00

So I did a double today. I'd been talking about it all week, but I didn't want it to be because I missed a day... oh well!! I think I'm going to officially replace Yoga X with this because I really enjoy this routine. It gives a well rounded set of exercises to do in a 40 minute time frame. It felt like a nice break and my shoulders felt surprisingly strong during this routine. I was able to get in almost 1000 calories burned between the 2 workout sessions today. I'm looking forward to tomorrow to get these legs and back tone up!!

Round 2, Day 11 - Shoulders and Arms

2009-05-29T00:40:00.002-04:00

I did this workout today to make up for yesterday's workout that I missed. I remembered how last week I felt like I tweaked my shoulders going heavy early in the session, so I tried taking it a bit easier (lighter weights) today. That still didn't help me because my shoulders were in pain again. I pushed thru the pain this time around, but I'm gonna have to get some glucosamine or something, because the pain was most unpleasant!! I finished up the work out, but I did have to take it easy again on the shoulder section. Hopefully next week will be better.

Round 2, Day 10 - Rest day...

2009-05-29T00:39:00.000-04:00

Today was an unexpected rest day...

Round 2, Day 9 - Interval X Plus

2009-05-26T21:23:00.003-04:00

What a difference a week makes. Last week this time, I was winded and feeling like I was gonna pass out and this week, I was kicking butt on this routine!! I am constantly amazed at how well this program gets you into great shape in such a short amount of time. I was worried last week that I'd lost all my conditioning in just 3 short weeks, but I'm nearly firing on all cylinders again now, so I'm good. I still need to get my eating under control a bit better with making sure I get in 6 meals a day, but at least today was a much better day with the quality of food that I ate. I think I'm going to use Boomer's suggestion and cut my calories back a bit to create more of a caloric deficit to increase the weight loss. I just ordered more protein and bars to make sure I keep my intake up to one gram of protein per body weight lb.

Interval X Stats..
Avg heart rate: 134
Max heart rate: 171
Calories: 618

Round 2, Day 8 - Chest and Back

2009-05-26T17:24:00.002-04:00

I brought it on this workout. Even though it was a holiday, I attacked it and got a great pump from it. Since it was a holiday weekend, my eating didn't get any better but the holiday is over, so now I will have to get it together on the eating. The bright side is that I've remained consistent with the workouts!

Round 2, Day 7 - Rest day...

2009-05-25T09:13:00.003-04:00

Today (actually, yesterday since I'm a day behind with blogging) was a HORRIBLE day. I enjoyed resting with the family and doing family thing, but I ate HORRIBLY!!! Fast food, cocktails with wifey and then capped off with doughnuts and ice cream!! I'm going to have to do doubles this week in order to keep balanced on making sure I burn more calories than I eat!!

Round 2, Day 6 - Kenpo X

2009-05-24T08:29:00.003-04:00

I fully intended on doing another double today... doing Kenpo X and Kenpo Cardio Plus, but I had to listen to my body. I was able to bring it with Kenpo X, but my legs were on fire from the double I did on Day 5, so I had to opt out of the extra Kenpo session. I did replace that with climbing a ladder to the top of my neighbors townhome to correct a problem with her home that allows birds to nest just over my deck. I also picked up a new bowling ball to up my game for the next season and I bowled seven games just to get familiar with it with an avg of 167... not too shabby for a new ball.

As far as the Kenpo session, I pushed hard, but it is still tough for me to get my heart rate really pumping on this routine. I guess this is a carry over from the first 90 day cycle.

My Kenpo stats....
Avg Heart rate: 123
Max Heart rate: 153
Calories burned: 690

Round 2, day 5 - Legs, Back, ARX and Cardio X

2009-05-22T18:06:00.007-04:00

Today I had tons of energy... so I knocked out Legs, Back and ARX. The legs workout was also tougher than I remember. It really makes me wonder if I was slacking towards the end or did 3 weeks off really take that much of a toll on me. I guess it is a lesson that the wrong foods and alcohol have more of an effect on the body than most people give them credit for. Once I was done with this routine, I did the ARX and this time I was able to push out a few more reps out of the ARX than the normal 349, so it is slowly but surely coming back.

I popped in Cardio X just to get some extra calories burned since I took yesterday off. I kept waiting and waiting to do the Yoga and I just never got to it. I don't work from home as much as I used to, so this getting out of the house is taking more of a toll on me than I thought it would. I get home and I'm sleepy. This was my first time doing this routine and I was pleasantly surprised with it. I don't feel so bad about opting out of Yoga yesterday since this one starts out with Yoga moves. I know it doesn't compare to the full blown Yoga, but it is a decent alternative. I may throw this in a few times a week to double up. I love burning this many calories and I think it may get me to my goal a bit quicker! I just have to make sure to up the protein intake to compensate for all the calories going out the door!

Legs, Back and ARX stats
Avg Heart Rate: 139
Max Heart Rate: 172
Calories burned: 1131

Cardio X stats
Avg Heart Rate: 143
Max Heart Rate: 168
Calories burned: 617

85 workouts to go!!!

Round 2, Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms

2009-05-20T23:41:00.002-04:00

I did a pretty good job of bringing it today. I got to the workout in the afternoon and I started out heavier on shoulders than I did in the last cycle of P90X. It felt good for the first couple of exercises, but by the time I got to the 3rd set of exercises, my shoulder was popping pretty bad, so I had to back off of the weights and go light. I think I got a bit ahead of myself in wanting to bring it. I've ALWAYS lifted light with my shoulders and today was my reminder as to why I've done that in the past. Either way, I still brought it. I did my ARX shortly after and again I had to work to push out the 349 reps.

My eating was pretty decent today and I got in 5 meals. I think because of all the junk I'd been eating, it is going to be more a struggle this time to get the eating right. I'd say I'm about 90% on with the food right now. I'll get there as I start seeing the results again!

My stats today..
Avg heart rate: 120
Max heart rate: 160
Calories burned: 921

87 workouts to go!!

Round 2, Day 2... Interval X Plus (Ouch)

2009-05-19T20:51:00.003-04:00

Well.. forget everything I said yesterday about waiting a while for the P90X+ workouts. I ran short on time today and had a short window to get the workout in, so I popped in the Interval X+ and Oh My God!!!!!! I first did this workout in the 3rd phase of my last cycle and I was able to keep up without my heart rate shooting to the moon, but this time around was a very different story. If any of you recall, the 'Plus' workouts are shorter than the regular P90X workouts, but they are a lot more intense. This workout put it on me, big time!! I brought it as hard as I could, but I struggled as I got to the middle of the workout. My heart was beating as fast as it ever has doing these workouts, so I had to pace myself a bit. I finished up strong though and I'm looking forward to doing this one again next week!!

My stats for today..
Avg heart rate: 159
Max heart rate: 181
Calories burned: 775

Round 2, Day 1 Chest and Back (Again)...

2009-05-18T22:16:00.005-04:00

Wow.. I can not believe it has been since May 1st that I last posted. I must apologize to all of my teammates and folks who follow the blog. To say that I got off track is probably an under statement!! That isn't to say that I have not been working out.. but I certainly lost track of my eating and drinking. Once I slipped, I never got back on track. I tried twice to restart, but both times failed. That back pain I experienced really did a number on me. Last week, I did work out 4 days though. So.. I didn't go backwards too far from all the gains I'd achieved in my first cycle, but with a trip home for Mother's Day... I did gain a bit back.

On this restart, I am only going to track one measurement and that is my waist. I ended up on the first cycle with a 39 inch waist and with almost 3 weeks of being off diet and schedule, my waist crept back up to 40.5. I also gained a few pounds back, so I'm up to 252lbs. My goal for this cycle is to get it down to 34 inches. At this point, the weight is not so much of an issue for me, because it is a look that I'm going for, more than weight.

I had a pretty good start today. I did the Chest and Back workout today and it kicked my butt!! I did very well until I got to the last few exercises in the routine. Dive bombers are still killers. I did ARX later in the day and it really kicked my butt even more than the workout did. I haven't done this routine in weeks, so I was only able to knock out the 349 reps... barely!! I'm looking forward to getting my wind and endurance back. It is amazing how quickly it can fade away. My heart rate didn't go sky high, but I felt a bit light headed after the last couple of exercises in each round. I should be good to go by next week. Good thing I've gone thru this already so I know what to expect. I think for this week, I will stick with the regular P90X routine and then when I get my wind back, I'll add the P90X+ routines back in!

My stats for today are:
Avg heart rate: 123
Max heart rate: 159
Calories burned: 774

Waist 40.5
Weight 252lbs

Free day # 2 - Yoga

2009-05-01T00:13:00.002-04:00

I did an abbreviated version of Yoga tonight, which I think I will stick with on Yoga days. I pretty much just did the moving asanas, balance postures and a couple of the stretch moves. It felt pretty good to get a nice stretch with the moving asanas. My triceps were a bit burnt from yesterday still, but I was able to hang tough with Tony and the crew. The total time for this workout was in keeping with all of the other tapes, so it was about an hour. I will be sure to do the stretch on Sunday because I really could use it. I also could use a good deep tissue massage, but I will have to wait on that. Man it feels good to be back bringing it!! I'm looking forward to getting back on track next week, but I do have to go out of town. I will take my dvd's with me, but I'll probably sub out the leg's and back for the either the Interval X Plus or Plyo.. that way I don't have to worry about finding weights while I out of town.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!

2009-04-29T20:55:00.002-04:00

For those of you that follow this blog, I must offer a heart felt apology for being missing in action, but my back pain last week really knock me down. I was a very depressed that I wasn't able to workout, so I stayed away from the blog also. My back pain eased a bit the after the first day, but lingered on up until a day ago and I didn't want to aggrevate it anymore. I was too busy to make it to the Dr. and since I had something similar before, I figured the problem would go away with rest. Fortunately, I was right!!

Sooooooo... since I missed 6 days, what to do.. what to do??? I started up on what today would have been, which was Shoulders and Arms. I plan on repeating week 2 over again, but I will finish out this week in the order it would have gone, just to get back in the swing of things and then next week, I'll just fill in the week 2 area of the tracking spreadsheet. So this week will be a wash, but a much needed wash in order to get back on track.

Back to bringing it!!! :-D

Rnd 2/Day 10 - Forced Rest Day

2009-04-22T16:36:00.002-04:00

So.. the energy issue yesterday wasn't a carb issue at all.. it was the prelude to an illness. I'm not sure if it is allergies or a cold, but I'm knocked down on my butt today. I'm not sure if I will try to trooper thru this later this evening, but as of right now... today is a "listen to your body" rest day. I won't do like last week and workout out of turn... I'll push everything back a day. I'm really hoping to snap out of this, but it doesn't seem to be getting better as the day goes on.

THIS SUCKS!!!! :-(

Rnd 2/Day 9 - Interval X Plus

2009-04-21T23:12:00.002-04:00

Let me just simply say... this workout kicked my butt today! I guess sometimes you feel like a nutt and sometimes you don't.. and I didn't!!! I'm not sure if my diet was shorter on carbs yesterday or what, but there was certainly some energy issues. I managed to make it thru in one piece, but I certainly struggled getting there. I think the worst exercise for me was the Carlito 3 way push ups AGAIN.... This workout has 15 exercises that you do and then take a quick break only to redo them in reverse order. The Carlito 3 way pushups are the 15th and 16th exercise and I was literally crawling during it this time.

I think next Monday night I will add some extra carbs in just to be sure I have the energy needed to push thru. This workout and the Kenpo Cardio Plus are the only 2 that really push me to this point, so the night before them will probably be the only nights I carb up. I'm looking forward to the bed tonight and then there is the good ol Shoulders and Arms workout in the morning!!

81 workouts to go!!!

Rnd 2/Day 8 - Chest and Back

2009-04-20T21:16:00.002-04:00

Today I had a good workout. I was a bit tired prior to starting and I kept pushing it off until later in the day, but once I finally pressed play, my body responded like a well oiled machine!! I slowed my push ups down a bit in order to get a better burn and that was certainly the ticket. I will continue to do that until I break down and get a bench so that I can start doing dumbbell presses. As far as the back goes, the pull ups are still good, but I'd still like a power tower. I know there is more I can get out of it. I may just have to break down and hit the gym for Chest and Back day. I need to figure out how to get this workout on my Ipod so that way I can keep the intensity like the dvd while moving between exercises at the gym. If anyone knows how to do that, please feel free to drop me a note!!

82 workouts to go!!!

Rnd 2/Day 7 - Make up Legs day

2009-04-19T23:36:00.005-04:00

I don't know what I was thinking about trying to do legs after a long day of kickball. Today was the first game of the season and we got DUSTED!!! 10-3... My team, the Goodfootz, really need a lot of work!! hahaha Anyway, for me the pre-game practice and warm up was much tougher than the game because there are so many people, that we only get a little playing time. I was sore enough from the pre-game practice and I also had to park a mile away from the field because the kickball league is so full.

Anyway... I finally got to the leg workout once I rested. I did all of the leg exercises and skipped out on the back since I will be doing that at 5:45 in the morning. I got a pretty decent workout in. That coupled with kickball should do my legs well!

Here is a pic of me with my new smaller pants size!! hahahaha

And here is Angel with the shirt she made for my bday dinner. She is becoming quite the accomplished little seamstress!!

Rnd 2/Day 6 - Kenpo Cardio X +

2009-04-18T18:44:00.002-04:00

This is a GREAT workout. Again, the Plus workouts are shorter, but they really get the heart rate up. I actually got up to a 179 while doing this workout today, which an avg heart rate of 150!! I am normally in the 130's on the regular P90X workouts. I did all of this after a 3.5 hour kickball practice, so I will probably be in some pain tomorrow. I didn't have to go all out in practice like before, so I won't be as sore, but there is the first game tomorrow so we will see. I'm going to do an abbreviated makeup work for legs and back tomorrow where I just do the leg exercises. I'm doing that because Monday will be chest and back. I probably should have pushed the Kenpo to tomorrow, but I wasn't up for lifting today after that kickball practice. I'm still bringing it and I don't mind the Mods.. I suppose I should do measurements tomorrow to keep up with my weekly meausurements I did the last time. We'll see....

84 workouts to go!!

4/17 - Birthday

2009-04-17T23:21:00.002-04:00

Today was an off day because it is my birthday. I rarely work or do anything strenuous on my b-day, so I will push everything back a day! It was lovely and sunny outside for my day... I got tons of calls and cards and Facebook birthday wishes.... so it was a GREAT b-day!!!

Rnd 2/Day 3 - Yoga and ARX

2009-04-16T22:31:00.002-04:00

Tonight was a pretty decent night. It feels like forever since I've done it, but it was nice to get back in to it. My shoulders were on fire, but it was a good burn. I knocked out the moving asanas and then I picked a few of the stretches to do. I knew I was going to do ARX, so I skipped out on Yoga Belly 7. I got a very good burn on ARX also, so another good day down!!

87 workouts to go!!

Rnd 2/Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms

2009-04-15T22:52:00.003-04:00

Today was a marginal workout. Due to my endless errands today, I was unable to get started on the workout until 10pm and just as I started up, I started having a sharp pain in the middle of my upper back. It is a bizzare feeling, but painful none the less, so I did what I could and I forgot the rest. I pushed up until the bonus round and then I stopped. I will do ARX in the morning when I get up.. hopefully this pain will go away while I sleep. Wish me luck on that!!

87 workouts to go!!

Rnd 2/Day 2 - Interval X Plus

2009-04-14T22:08:00.002-04:00

This workout is a complete BEAST!!!! Since I'm doing the P90X/P90X+ hybrid, I did this instead of Plyo because I want to push harder this cycle and this workout is the definition of pushing harder! I've done it once before during my first P90X cycle and I did a bit better this time around, but by the time I get to the Carlito 3-way push ups, I was exhausted. I sucked it up and pushed harder to take this session to the edge. My heart rate goes thru the roof on this one and I love it. The workout is shorter than Plyo, but there is only one break in the 48 minutes and it is no where near the length of the breaks on Plyo. I'm looking forward to getting up and bringing it in the morning again!! This was also another successful day of eating correctly!

88 workouts to go!!

Rnd 2/Day 1 - Chest and Back

2009-04-13T20:27:00.002-04:00

I BROUGHT it today and I have been on point with my diet today. I was able to start off where I left off at last round with my workout today and it felt great! I got up bright and early to do the workout at 5:45 this morning and I'm gonna try to keep consistent with that. I have the hunger again that I had in the first round and I know enough now to keep it going!!

89 workouts to go!!! Let's get it!!

Recovery Week - Core Synergistics

2009-04-07T22:21:00.002-04:00

I had a really good core workout today.. I had my kids watching me so I really made sure I brought it so that they couldn't tell me that I didn't look like the people on the tv!! hahaha It is spring break, so I'm trying to do my best to not lose it on the food before starting again. I keep saying I'm going to go shopping for my phase 1 meal, but it hasn't happened yet.. maybe tomorrow.

Results time....

2009-04-06T11:13:00.002-04:00

Drum roll please.............................. :-)

As I have said in earlier posts, I could nitpick these pics to death and highlight changes I'd like to see, but I think all in all.. this was a GREAT first round of P90X!!! I feel a hunger again like I did before I first started and I'm anxious to start all over again. This time around I will stay on the fat shredder plan until I feel like I don't have the energy needed to keep up with the workouts. Then and only then will I increase my carbs and only a little at a time. Also, I think I got a tad bit comfortable that I was in a zone after the first phase, so I slacked on keeping a food journal and that was the major cause to me getting off track with the eating.

I'm just very excited about the program and knowing the changes I've made to date, I can only imagine what I will look like by the summer time after a second round!!! The word MONSTER is coming to mind!! :-)

7 more days to the 2nd round!!! Stay tuned!!

Ahhhhhhh...

2009-04-05T23:04:00.003-04:00

Today was a complete cheat day... I ate everything I've been wanting to eat for weeks!!! I am even sipping on a glass of bubbly as I'm typing this post!! This will be my last complete cheat day for the next 97 days!!! I am celebrating a job well done and clearing my mind for another blitz.

I realized something interesting today after thinking about the bodyfat measurements yesterday. I know I mentioned that I took one, but didn't put the number on there. It seems to be nearly impossible to get an accurate caliper body fat exam at the gym, so all I really have to base my body fat measurement is that machine that they have and the body fat calculators on the web. So.. if I just use those, it raises my starting number to 30.31 and my current body fat is 21.30. That is very nice change in the right direction, but disappointing because I had hoped to be down to 15% at a max. I'm not completely disappointed though because my diet wasn't exactly on point in the third phase because I kept trying to add the carb thing and work was taking an increasing role in hindering my eating schedule. The other reason why I'm not fully disappointed is because I started playing with the bodyfat calcs to see what it would take to get down to single digit bodyfat and I was shocked!!! It seems order for me to get to single digits, I'd have to drop my waist down to a 33. Either that or I can increase my neck size (not sure how to accomplish this)....

All I can say to that is hmmmmm!?!?!?!?

By the way, sorry for not posting the pics today, but I was playing mechanic and spent 10 hours locating and fixing a problem with the brakes on my car. I'll get the pics posted tomorrow.

Day 90 - HIIT and DONE!!!!!!

2009-04-04T21:06:00.002-04:00

WOW... this has been something very special for me and even though I limped to the finish line... I made it to the first 90 day cycle of P90X!! This program has worked wonders for me and even though I didn't quite reach my goal during this phase, I must say that it has transformed my body in ways I didn't think was possible anymore. I've lost pounds... I've lost inches... I've gained a new love for being in shape and doing what it takes to stay there... just completely transformational!

I want to thank all of you that have stopped by to encourage me and to check up on me... I especially want to thank my team that have done this with me day by day (and even more since I had this horrible week): Boomer, NavyManWill and Christine!! You guys have been nothing but inspirational to me and I look forward to starting our next cycle on April 13th!!!

As I have said before, I will be doing another recovery week to make up for this busted one and I will keep the posts going because this has been an instrumental part in my success on this program, so for those who have been checking me out, stick around because you haven't seen anything yet!!

I will be posting my 90 day pics tomorrow!!

Day 88 & 89 - Busted

2009-04-04T07:36:00.002-04:00

One word.... WORK. Nuff said...

Day 87 - Another busted day...

2009-04-02T14:19:00.002-04:00

WORK WORK WORK..... No balance... I slaved all day and I made my deliverable deadline, but this has really thrown me off this week. I know that I've said I was going to start my next cycle soon, but I really want to do another recovery week next week, since this one has been a bust. Therefore, (Boomer and Navy), I will be ready to start the next cycle on the 13th.

THIS IS NOT HOW I WANTED TO END THIS CYCLE!!!! :-(

Day 86 - Core Synergistics

2009-03-31T23:25:00.003-04:00

I had a decent workout tonight, given the fact that I haven't eaten or slept much in the last 2 days. I had enough energy to get thru the main workout and I limped along thru the bonus round. It took me 86 days to realize what folks mean by bonking!! I was feeling light headed as I worked out for at least half of this session. I'm glad it is over tonight and I look forward to getting a couple hours of sleep. To my team and friends on the forum.. I haven't forgotten you guys or given up. I'm just tired and I'll make it over there sometime tomorrow! I hope you all have been bringing it!! I'm out....

4 workouts to go!!!

Day 84 & 85 - Nothing but WORK... :-(

2009-03-31T22:01:00.002-04:00

This is not the way I envisioned my last week of my first cycle of P90X, but I have a crushing make or break deadline of Thursday to deliver a code drop and I have been on this task every waking moment for the last few days. I've had about 3-4 hours of sleep over the last few days and tonight won't be much different. I'm gonna try to go up and do my day 86 workout now, but I'm flat out exhausted. Unfortunately, I won't be able to rest until Sat. because I still have loads of work to do before a Thurday morning meeting and my little princess' b-day is on Friday with her party on Sat... laser tag party. I hope my team has been able to push out on this recovery week. I do look forward to starting all over again very soon!!!

Day - 83 Kenpo X Cardio Plus

2009-03-28T17:20:00.002-04:00

Today was my first day giving this workout a shot and it was a pretty good change of pace from the regular Kenpo X. I'm not sure I will say it is much better.. just different and nonstop. I think the next time I do it, I will get more out of it because this time was really about trying to learn the moves and keep up. I'm sure my fellow P90X folks know that feeling when you do a new routine!! It is a bit shorter also, but that is probably because it is nonstop. I burned about the same amount of calories as I did with the regular Kenpo X which is good since the workout is shorter, so that lets me know it is a bit more intense. During my next cycle of P90X, I will probably do both Kenpo's and just alternate them each week.

7 workouts to go!!

Day 82 - Legs and Back

2009-03-28T09:36:00.003-04:00

Today was a decent workout. It wasn't my best job of bringing it, but a good workout just the same. I started out pushing it and then my right knee started having some pain, so I had to bring it back a notch. I was a little disappointed because I knew it was my last weighted session for this cycle, but I know I have another 90 days coming up soon, so I'm okay with it. It is now a lifestyle.. not a fad, and I accept that everyday won't be my absolute best, but what I do give is so much better than doing nothing at all!!

8 workouts to go!! Tomorrow, I'm gonna give the Kenpo X Plus a try!!

Speaking of the Plus.... After reading Boomer's blog.. I think my next cycle will be a hybrid of the 2 programs. I'm thinking I will do the normal weighted exercises on schedule and then doing the P90X+ for the cardio days.

Day 81 - Rest Day

2009-03-28T09:34:00.003-04:00

As you all know, I've started swapping out Yoga for my rest day due to my hectic Thursday schedule. I had intended on doing the stretch, but work was very demanding and I spent the day working with tech support trying to get rid of a code bug. If there was any day I needed rest.. it was today!!

9 workouts to go!! SINGLE DIGITS... WOW!!!!!

Day 80 - Back and Biceps

2009-03-26T09:59:00.002-04:00

I really pushed thru this workout and brought it!! I knew that it was my last back and bicep, so I treated it as such!! I increased weights on most of the curls and my biceps looked MASSIVE when I was done with this workout. I'm really going to have to consider getting a tower for my next cycle of P90X because I still think I could be pushing my back much harder, but the pullups in between the door feel limited!! Oh well.. this cycle has done a great job of reshaping my body and I'm very pleased with the results so far.

10 workouts to go!!

Day 79 - Interval X Plus (Plyo replacement)

2009-03-24T23:30:00.001-04:00

All I can say about this workout is WOW!!! It is a tad bit shorter than the Plyo workout, but it is NONSTOP!! I really enjoyed it and it left me feeling hungry like I was in Phase I. I was able to keep up barely until the middle portion. The workout does a set of exercises and then does them again in reverse order. I was a bit winded by the time I got to the middle, but I regained and pushed thru. My heart rate was much higher than normal and I even got up to 170. My avg heartrate was 146. I brought it!!

11 workouts to go!!

Day 78 - Chest, Triceps, Shoulders and ARX

2009-03-23T23:22:00.002-04:00

I brought it tonight!! I had a great workout and I increased my weights and intensity. My wrist held up pretty well during the push ups. I burned 976 calories during the workout, including ARX. It felt good to be back on, since I was forced to rest yesterday. It also felt good to bring it on what I consider to be the most challenging weighted P90X workout... and it was a nice farewell to it.. for this round anyway!! hahaha

Sorry I'm so brief.. but I have work to do!

12 workouts to go...

Day 77 - Forced Rest Day (Injury)

2009-03-23T07:19:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I had planned on doing yoga and I probably would have gotten it done if I had gotten up earlier. Unfortunately, I had a late night out with my cousin doing his send off party, so that wasn't optional. Sunday was my son's 9th b-day party and we threw him a skating party. All was going well until my old butt decided to try to dance on the skates.... let's just say it didn't go too well and I ended up on my backside. During that process I landed awkardly on my wrist, so doing upward and downward dogs weren't going to be possible after that. I rested it yesterday and I hope it is ready to go today for the last week of weights for this cycle!!! Wish me luck!

13 more workouts to go!!!

Day 76 - Kenpo X

2009-03-22T02:20:00.002-04:00

Today was a great day for Kenpo.... I had a hard time keeping my heart rate up, but my cousin did it with me, so that was very cool. I had intended on doing the Kenpo X Plus, but I didn't remember that until Angel reminded me during the warm up. I knew that since my cousin had never done it before, I wouldn't up the ante on him. It was a very decent workout and I kept moving even during the break, but I only had an avg heartrate of 117. :-(

During the evening, the diet went completely out the window... we took my cousin out to a club and get him buzzed to the Nth degree... and I wasn't far behind!! hahaha I'm going back to the fat shredder diet on Monday and will continue my P90X journey on it!!

14 workouts to go... Yoga in the AM!!!

Day 75 - Legs and Back

2009-03-21T01:42:00.002-04:00

I had a pretty good day today with legs and back. I worked on perfecting my form with these exercises today. My knees felt pretty good today and I didn't get the normal twinge in my knees, so I guess the Glucosamine is working a bit. I didn't do the ARX today because I ran out of time. I will do it tomorrow with my Kenpo X. I may even toss in some Interval X Plus from the P90X+ dvds if I have time. My cousin is up visiting me and I want to get in a good time with him. He is one of the 17,000 troops being sent over to the new battleground front, Afghanistan. He is a young man that I love like a little brother and it really pains me that he has to go, but I know he doing a great service to our country, so I am very proud of him and admire his bravery!! He is going to be starting P90X once he touches down over there, so he will be another ripped guy like the rest of our P90X tribe!! ;-)

15 workouts to go!!

Day 74 - Stretch X

2009-03-19T23:58:00.002-04:00

I got in the stretch at the end of the day and it was a pretty decent stretch. I didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I normally would, but that is probably because I waited until after 10 to get it in. Thursdays remain an over packed day for me, so now I know why I've been swapping the rest day for Yoga. It's midnight and I'm tired... Goodnight!!

16 workouts to go!

Day 73 - Shoulders, Arms and ARX

2009-03-18T21:55:00.002-04:00

I had another great workout today!! I increase weight in all of the weighted exercises. I backed off a little bit on my shoulder exercises because I felt a slight bit uncomfortable after both rounds of the alternating shoulder presses, so even though I increased the weight, I didn't go as heavy as I wanted to. I pretty much went all out because I know that this was the last of this workout for this cycle of P90X. I did a decent showing at ARX tonight... my form was great, but I didn't attempt to max out on reps. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's stretch routine. I like the modification that I've made, but I will make sure I do the stretch instead of resting like I have the last 2 weeks. Yoga just seems to go much better on an early Sunday morning!! :-)

17 workouts to go!!!

Oh yeah... It must be officially working now... My lovely wife told me I was "Skinny as a scarecrow"... hahahaha!!!

Day 72 - Plyo and ARX

2009-03-17T22:56:00.002-04:00

Today was a pretty decent day for my Plyo workout. I was able to burn 754 calories and get my heart rate up to a 162 max with a 135 avg. I didn't mind the mini-breaks so much today, but I did continue moving during most of them. I modified a little bit on some of the jumps like the jump-knee and rock star. I started taking some Glucosamine the other day and I'm hoping that it helps to ease some of the joint pains that I'm having. I've heard from quite a few people that the stuff works wonders and I'm certainly hoping so!! I knocked out 420 reps today on ARX.

My P90X+ package finally got here today along with the recovery drink. That stuff is as tasty as they say on the dvds and I'm pretty pleasantly surprised!! I'm debating on when I'm gonna try out some of the Plus workouts, but I'm certainly looking forward to the next cycle of 90 days!! Adding in the P90X+ will be a welcome change!! Boomer and I are going to team up again and hopefully the rest of the team that we are apart of will keep going with us.

Day 71 - Chest and Back

2009-03-16T22:45:00.004-04:00

I BROUGHT IT today!!! I increased my push ups by at least 10 reps on in all chest exercises besides the divebombers, but I did go up by 5 on those. I finally maxed out on my bowflex set today on the lawn mowers. I probably could have done that a long time ago, but I wanted to pace myself. I may have to order the larger set of bowflex for my next P90X cycle.

I was too exhausted today to do my ARX, so I will add that on tomorrow with my Plyo workout. I felt really good about today's workout and my muscles got a very nice pump. P90X does a body good!!! :-)

My P90X+ dvd's and performance drink came today, but I didn't answer the door for the UPS guys.. I will be sure to get it tomorrow!! I'm looking forward to adding in some Interval X!!

19 workouts to go!!

Perspective...

2009-03-15T21:31:00.006-04:00

I have been going over my goals and looking at pics of what I was shooting for... and now I'm wondering if that is what I really want. When I first started, I was shooting for an improvement on a picture I took when I was 22.

I will be 37 on my birthday next month, which is 13 days after I finish up this first 90 days of P90X. As I think about it, I'm not so sure I want to look like I did when I was 22 having a 33 inch waist. Honestly, I think if I lost another couple of inches off my waist, I'd be pretty happy with that look. I guess I say all of that to say, with all my griping about not losing quickly anymore, I'm not too far from where I really want to be. I actually like the fuller look to my 'mature' muscles and I want to keep that as I slim down my midsection.

Week 10 Measurements

2009-03-15T17:39:00.002-04:00

I took my measurements today because I just wanted some confirmation on something I've been feeling for the last couple of weeks. I think that I've hit a plateau with my weight loss and fat loss, so that is why I decided to do the measurements now and I'm not surprised at the findings, but I'm wondering what to do about it.

Pre-P90X measurements:

Chest: 48 in
Arms: 19.5 in
Neck: 18 in
Waist: 46 in
Hips: 48 in
Thighs: 26.5 in

70 Day (Difference from Pre P90X):

chest: 46.5 (-1.5 in)
arms: 19 (-.5 in)
neck: 16.75 (-1.25 in)
waist: 39 (-7 in)
hips: 45 (-3 in)
thighs: 25.5 (-1 in)

I'm still moving in the right direction, but quite a bit slower than I was before. I'm wondering if I need to switch back to the fat burner diet plan with more protein. I've only lost an inch off my waist since the 6 week point (4 weeks ago) and my goal was to lose an additional 4 inches to get down to 36 inches. I have 3 more weeks, so I will have to see if I can push harder. If I don't see some more results by the end of this week, I will modify the eating plan again to increase the protein and reduce the carbs. I still have fat to burn, so I'm wondering if I should have switched in the first place. I'm also having some mental issues with losing inches any place other then my waist and lower back. I think part of me wanted to stay the same size everywhere but my waist, but I know that is impossible. When I go to the gym, people compliment me and tell me how much I've slimmed down and that I have a very toned look, which is what I wanted, but part of me is a tad bit sad to see the 'big guy' go. I know it is all for the best, but it is still an adjustment.

Day 70 - Rest (Yoga X sub)

2009-03-15T13:13:00.002-04:00

I got up this morning feeling pretty good, so I got up and knocked out the Yoga X. This is still one of my favorite workouts because of the stretching and flexibility challenges, but I had to say it kinda gets on my nerves that Tony does the right side longer and in some instances more reps too (downward dog with leg raises). Oh well.. I balance it out myself, but still, I guess that is kinda one of the things that happens when you been on the program for 10 weeks! LOL

I know I was supposed to update my ARX count from yesterday, but I didn't do it, so I got it in the morning after Yoga. My goal from the last time was 450 reps and I'm happy to report that I beat that out by doing 480 reps this time!! That is an all time high for me, so I guess I will have to up my goal to 500 the next go around and join my friend Boomer in the 500 club!!

3 more weeks to go!!! 20 workouts left....

Day 69 - Kenpo, HIIT and ARX

2009-03-14T17:47:00.002-04:00

Today was a pretty decent day. I had a lot of trouble getting my heart rate up and keeping it up during Kenpo. I even added lots of extra movements like jumping jacks in between moves, but I think I got up to a max of 142 and I hovered around 117-119 for the most part. I know that I'm in much better shape, but I was bothered by that, so I added in a HIIT session today. I hadn't done HIIT all week due to the extra tenderness I've been feeling in my joints this last week, but I felt strong enough to do it today. I'm glad I did, because I was able to get my heart rate up to 170+ on a couple of the sprint intervals!! I had to sprint for 2 minutes straight to get there, but you gotta do what you gotta do!! It's late afternoon and I've not done my ARX yet, but I will get to it in a bit. I didn't make my normal daily entry yesterday because I feel asleep after the date and didn't get around to it. I wanted to make sure I got it in today!! I'll update with the total count of ARX reps tomorrow...

21 workouts to go!! Yoga X is up for tomorrow...

Day 68 - Legs and Back

2009-03-14T17:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty decent Leg and Back day. My knees felt up to the task, so I didn't have to modify this time. I increased weight on the weighted exercises and brought it on the non-weighted exercises. I felt pretty good during and after this workout. I decided to push ARX until Sat, because Angel and I had a date.

22 workouts to go....

Day 67 - Yoga (Rest Day swap again)

2009-03-12T21:20:00.002-04:00

I think it may be official that Thursdays and Yoga don't really agree with me. I now have a standing morning meeting (usually the only day I have to go into the office lately) and the day starts off with a very long commute. Today was longer than normal and it was over 2 hours one way. I had a very trying meeting and then appointments for the rest of the day for my son and wife. Since she's been in the accident, I'm now the chaffeur, so I don't get home until late. Bottom line, I'm just dog tired and I don't have the energy to do it tonight. I feel bad for not bringing it tonight, but it just makes more sense for me to use this day as a rest day and do Yoga on Sunday instead of resting then. So, since Tony suggests we modify the program, I'll do just that! Besides that.. I bought Angel some chocolate covered strawberries today and I'm going to enjoy her enjoying them!! ;-)

23 workouts to go!!

Day 66 - Back, Biceps and ARX

2009-03-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

I had another great workout day, even though I seem to be a lot less enthusiastic about getting it in. I was able to increase all of my weights and I even added in a few more push ups from the last time I did this workout. I'm almost to the limit of my bowflex dumbbells on the lawnmowers, because they max out at 52.5 lbs. I could certainly have done that weight already, but I've been content to increase incrementally. I could probably lift heavier on most of the exercises, but my goal is the slimmed down look, so I am staying light going for more reps. I worked hard enough that I should be in a little pain tomorrow. We'll see....

For ARX, I didn't BRING IT tonight to go for my record of 420... I did the normal 349 with Tony and the crew because I did it just after eating dinner. I really have to stop doing that because it hinders my desire to push myself in this area. I will be sure to BRING it on Friday and I have a goal of 450 reps in mind. Wish me luck there. I'm looking forward to tomorrows Yoga, but it will be a very busy day, so I'll have to work hard to try to get it in. I know Yoga is only an extra 30 minutes, but it really is a mindset shift to have to workout for that long when all the other routines are less than an hour.

24 workouts and counting!!

Day 65 - Plyo and ARX

2009-03-10T23:52:00.003-04:00

Today was another day of BRINGING IT!!! I started off the day getting in a great session on Plyo. I was able to up the intensity by skipping out on all of the mini-breaks Tony gives between sets with all the talking. I would either start the next exercise during that time or keep doing the previous exercise until the next one started. I even double timed most of the exercises. I felt like I had a ton of energy and the routine went really quick today.

I did ARX later in the evening and I still had lots of energy for it. I knocked out 420 reps tonight doing a similar process I used with the Plyo exercise. I started early and knocked out the additional reps where possible. I am looking forward to Back and Biceps tomorrow. My muscles are still sore from yesterdays workout and I love it!!

25 more days to go.... until Round 2!!!

Day 64 - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

2009-03-09T22:09:00.002-04:00

I BROUGHT IT again today!! I brought it to the point of complete muscle exhaustion when I was done. I really enjoyed this workout even though mentally I had been preparing for the Chest and Back workout. This one is so much more intense and all of the different kinds of push ups really test my limits. I increased weights and reps on 98% of the exercises. I kept the weight the same on some of the shoulder exercises and increased weights. When I first started, I felt a twinge in my elbow, but it went away after I started on the push ups. All I could think was that my body is falling apart because of the knee issue and now an elbow pain. I'm gonna start taking some fish oil because I heard it was good for joint pains.

I opted out of ARX tonight and I will do it with my Plyo tomorrow. I gave EVERYTHING I had in the workout and I don't want to go thru ARX with lousy form just to say I got it in.

26 more workouts to go!!!

Additional Motivation!!

2009-03-09T00:12:00.003-04:00

This is a video of a guy that has done a full year of P90X. He started out much like I did and has achieved tremendous results in a years time. I was searching youtube.com for success stories because I like keeping my expectations in line with reality. The body I want is honestly not one that can be had in 90 days, but with persistence and consistency, I will get there!! Special thanks goes out to Da Big Show for the motivational video which shows what sticking to it can do for you!!

Day 63 - Stretch X (Yoga X)

2009-03-08T21:12:00.001-04:00

I know I said yesterday that I was going to do Yoga X and HIIT today, but after being up for a while, I decided to opt out of the HIIT today. Something is up with my left knee so I wanted to take it easy. If you recall, I didn't do Yoga on my scheduled day, so I replaced my Stretch X with Yoga and I did get in a very nice session today. I feel a lot stronger in Yoga. I am still dealing with my mental block on a couple of the poses, but I did get in a great session despite that. The moving asansas seem to move along pretty quickly now, but I have to say that it is a curious thing that Tony usually does the right side longer than he does the left. I suppose that is because he is giving instructions on the right side first, but after all these weeks, it is mildly annoying!!

Next week is the last week of this phase I set of routines for the 90 days, so I will make sure I BRING IT and send them off with a blast!! I guess it won't be too long before I see them again though since I'm going to start very soon after I'm done with this 90 day cycle!! I'm really looking forward to getting my P90X+ disks so I can try some of them before this cycle ends.

27 workouts to go!!

Day 62 - Kenpo and HIIT

2009-03-08T00:16:00.002-05:00

I got up first thing this morning and I headed off to the gym to get in my HIIT. I had very good energy once again... in fact, I've not lacked energy since the start of Phase III. After I was done at the gym, I spent the day running errands, trying to decide on a new car to buy since my car was totalled and playing with the kids. I have to say that I am the KING in this house when it comes to Madden '09 on the Wii!!! hahahahaha

I didn't follow my normal eating routine, but I still got in 4-5 meals. I got caught up with the kids for the most part of the day, so I didn't get in Kenpo until about 10 pm or so. I was amazed that I still had tons of energy left for this session! I doubled timed most exercises from the start. I love this workout because it does go very quick. My kicks were even stronger tonight.

I finally stopped procrastinating and I ordered my set of P90X+ dvd's and the recovery drink tonight. The low fat chocolate milk has done me well, but I'm curious to see if I notice a difference with the actual recovery drink that they suggest so much during the workouts.

Tomorrow will be HIIT and Yoga. 28 workouts to go!!! Still bringing it!

Day 61 - Legs, Back and ARX

2009-03-06T23:25:00.002-05:00

Today I brought it as much as I could, but the theme was Modify, modify, modify!! My left knee felt tweaked from the start of the workout, so I did all but the wall squats. I increased weight on each of the weighted exercises and I increased my pull ups each time around from the last time I did this workout. I think I'm becoming the jumping jack king because that is my normal option when I modify an exercise. It was weird that I was able to do those without pain, but other things triggered shooting pains in my knee. Oh well.. sometimes you feel like a nut.. sometimes you don't!!

I waited several hours before doing ARX and that turned out to be a good thing time around. I wanted to do it after dinner to burn off some of the badness that I ate for dinner. The kids voted for pizza, so I knocked off a couple of slices... and then a couple more! hahaha.... So.. to make up for it, I did 410 reps during ARX this go around. Boomer.. I'm coming for you!!! hahaha For those of you who don't know who Boomer is, he has a blog at www.projectexercise.com. He and I started on the same day and he is knocking out 4-500 reps each time out on ARX.

29 workouts to go!!!! I can't believe it is winding down....