Sunday, May 11, 2008

DAYS 20 & 21....I'm so ashamed

DAY 20 was supposed to be Kenpo and DAY 21 was supposed to be rest...

Well, they both ended up being rest.  I was crazy busy all weekend and did not employ good time management skills to make sure I had time to fit in Kenpo.  However, I'm thinking it may be a good thing because my lower back is still killing me and the rest may be just what I need!  I just checked the WEEK 4 schedule to see what's on tap for tomorrow....YOGA!  Looking forward to it.  I am really having a hard time w/the fact I missed a day though....

Saturday, May 10, 2008

DAY 19-dreaded LEGS & BACK

DAY 19:  LEGS & BACK

This was a good workout, today.  Let me toot my own horn:  I did TWO of each pull ups before using the cheater chair!  Woot woot!  Of course, legs SUCKED because they are hard, but it was good.  I did well and tried to watch my form and keep my core tight.  I just realized, I forgot to do Ab Ripper, so I'll either do that today w/Kenpo or tomorrow...oops.  Good things are happening!!!!

Friday, May 9, 2008

DAY 18...cut a little short

DAY 18: YOGA X

I do really like this Yoga workout, except for 1 thing.....it's SOOOOOOO long! It's over an hour and a half and it's so hard to fit it into my Thursday routine! I've yet to get up early enough to fit it in before work and then I've got to rush to fit it in in the afternoon if we have evening plans. Poor time management on my part, I know.

I do really like the work out though! I stopped after an hour so The Man could do Plyo and I could get ready to meet friends. My lower back is still hurting and I think some of these positions aren't helping it.....

Thursday, May 8, 2008

DAY 17-Arms & Shoulders

DAY 17: ARMS & SHOULDERS (& AB RIPPER X, of course)

I still feel this is the "easiest" workout to date. Don't get me wrong, it's tough and you will feel it, but it's not as bad to me as the other ones. Thankfully, little to no hand cramping like I had last time I did this workout. I used the same weights as last week; I'll probably try to up the resistance next time I do this.

Ab Ripper burned, burned, burned....that means something's happening in there, right?

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

DAY 16: Plyooooo yeah!

DAY 16:  PLYO X

What a great way to start the morning!  Sorry, I must still be high on endorphins!  3rd time doing Plyo X and it feels good.  Don't get me wrong, it is tough, but good do-able tough.  I even did "Hot Feet" (ok, only 15 seconds each leg instead of 30, but that's the only exercise I slacked on today!).

I really tried to focus on my form and keep my core tight during all exercises in an attempt to stabilize my lower back.  I think my favorite move is "Airborne Heisman's"...for a minute there, I am Joe Montana!

I forgot to put on my heart rate monitor and I didn't feel like pushing pause to go put it on (something about one of those laws of Newton's....an object in motion..., an object at rest....).  I didn't do the bonus round (next time, for sure!) which means I didn't do the cool down, either.

Monday, May 5, 2008

DAY 15: Here we go WEEK 3....Chest & Back

DAY 15: Chest & Back

I woke up early this AM to complete the workout BEFORE work. I tallied my results and determined I did 220 push ups this morning (I have to admit, 10 of those were modified-on my knees...the Diamond Push Ups are killers....the first set I managed 8 on my toes, second set I completed 10, deep ones, from my knees)! Push ups felt a little tougher this morning, but not too bad. I'm not a big fan of Diamond and Decline (because they are HARD). The "under the fence" ones are tough, too, but they're at the end so they don't seem quite as bad. I think I need to find a thinner pillow for under my chest to make sure I'm going even deeper next time.

The pull ups were just so so again. I'm not sure what my deal is w/them. I need to WATCH someone perform them w/the cheater chair to make sure I'm doing them right. I'm still only able to do 1 real one each set, then on to the cheater chair.

Good news! Drum roll, please.......I have lost 1 inch from my waist and 2 inches from my hips in the last 14 days! Woot woot! (I haven't modified my diet at all, if I followed their diet plan instead of my eat-whatever-you-want-especially-if-it's-"bad"-for-you diet, I'm sure I would be seeing even more drastic results! However, I'm a big fan of food and I'm already fairly fit, so I'm not interested in being that extreme.)

Didn't do Ab Ripper yet (started the In & Outs and Forward Bicycle, then bagged it); I'll do it this evening w/The Man. My abs are feeling rock hard!

DAY 14: Rest, glorious REST

DAY 14, yesterday, was my scheduled REST day and boy, did I take advantage of it! I so needed a day of no exercise.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

DAY 13: 8.5 miles + Kenpo X?!

DAY 13: KENPO X

So, my amazingly fit, awesomely supportive 50 year old mom is running her first marathon.  She asked me if I'd run some of her "long run w/her today.  I initially declined because I am in the midst of P90X, but how can you decline the woman who gave birth to you?!!

So, this morning, I ran 8.5 miles w/my mom (after she'd already run 11.5!!!!).  It hurt. My legs felt like cement blocks after yesterday's back and legs workout.  My glutes felt like rocks. But, I completed the run w/minimal whining, and w/all intentions of completing Kenpo X when I returned home. Then, The Man wanted to go to a "local" brew pub for dinner.  So, I showered, got ready, and we took off.  Only to find out (when we arrived at 3:20) it didn't open til 4:00.  No problem...we head next door and enjoy a couple of Sam Adams Summer Ales and return at 4:00...only to learn the KITCHEN doesn't open til 5:00!  We each have a beer before deciding to head "home" to a local tavern to eat dinner.  So, I've now had a few beers and a dinner (yummy personal pan pizza!!!) when I decide to attempt Kenpo X.  

I made it 31 minutes before I decided I'm a quitter.  My back is actually tender to the touch and I'm not going to push it anymore.  I at least completed half of Kenpo X (after 8.5 miles jogging) and I'm proud of myself.  I am taking tomorrow off, as recced by the P90X schedule!!!!  I can't wait!!!  I am actually a little worried about my back, though.  I have had a herniated disc before and my lower back isn't the most stable (no surgery, too young at the time).  The logical part of me knows I should rest, but the competitive part of me thinks I'm already 13 days into it, I'm not getting off track now!!!  We'll see how Monday goes.....

Friday, May 2, 2008

DAY 12: Let me toot my own horn!

DAY 12:  Legs/Back (and Ab Ripper X)

First, let me tell you how proud I am of me.  Apparently I enjoyed the nectar of the gods a little too much last evening and though I woke up w/all intentions of getting my Friday workout out of the way at 4:50 AM, there was no way that was happening!  Fast forward to the end of the work day and I STILL felt not-so-hot.  Had I not been doing P90X (and blogging about my experience) there's not a chance I would have worked out today.  But, knowing I had to post, I indulged in a little "hair of the dog" and pushed play.

Feeling the way I did, my intentions were simply to complete the workout and hopefully get something out of it.  I was pleasantly surprised!  I think I did very well on the leg exercises (I even completed ALL the calf exercises!)...the only one I felt I may not have had the best form on was single leg wall squats, but those are HARD!!!

The pull ups were just ok.  On a positive note, I did do one of each of the 4 varieties (wait, I'm lying, not on switch grip either set) w/out the chair first, but I didn't do as many reps w/the cheater chair as usual.  

Something else to be proud of me for, I completed the cool down!!!!  And, I even added some of my own extra stretched above and beyond (my lower back has been really bothering me, so I figured I'd better get some stretching in)!

I have not finished Ab Ripper yet, but I have it cued up and ready to go.  I'm a little concerned about fitting Kenpo in tomorrow because I've committed to running about 9 miles in the morning w/my amazingly fit 50 year old mom who's training for her first marathon.  She's always willing to do an extra workout w/me, so I couldn't leave her hanging (she's running TWENTY miles, I'm just doing the back nine!).  I'm still planning to complete Kenpo, but we'll see how the run goes.  On thing is sure, I am def taking advantage of Sunday's scheduled REST!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

DAY 11: YogUGH

DAY 11=YOGA & YOGA BELLY X

Today was just not my day.  I didn't mind Yoga last week (once I realized the "hard" part was over after 50 minutes), but today just wasn't my day.  I didn't do it in the AM as I had planned and I wouldn't say I was dreading it went I got home, but I had no desire to workout.  All I wanted to do was crack open an ice cold Moosehead and watch bad reality TV.  In fact, if not for the fact that I write this blog and on the off change someone would read it and KNOW that I didn't do do Day 11, I may well have bagged the workout today.   So, it's a good thing you're not reading this.

I DID do the workout, but I can't say it was my best effort.  The first part, the moving poses, wasn't as hard as I remembered, partly because my effort sucked and partly because I knew when the end was coming!  I have to confess, at one point during the balance poses, I actually checked my mySapce...oh the shame (it was during Crane, which Tony tells beginners NOT to do, so I felt like being a beginner today)!  I really like the Yoga Belly X moves; they're great core poses and I was shaking as I did some of them.  

On a positive note, my shoulders felt the burn very early today in the Warrior poses letting me know yesterday was a good workout!  I also learned I need to do laundry more frequently, as my favorite workout shirt (that I've been wearing since I started P90X for most workouts) reeks and I almost had to hold my breath during Downward Dog.

This is a great workout, I'm upset w/myself and my half-@$$ed effort today.