Day 57 of my P90X journey, rounding the bend and heading for the home stretch. I can’t believe this fun and games will be finished in about a month. I’m looking at other people’s blogs to see what most people have done after they finish the 90 days to get an idea to build on the progress I’ve made so far. Right now I’m thinking of just doing P90X again with more modifications.
I took the day off today since the kids had spring break. That allowed me to sleep in a little bit and start my day at a leisurely pace. Chest and Back - wow, I’ve missed that big ol’ serving of German Potato Soup. I love the fact that you record your results during the P90X workouts. I was surprised at how much better I was doing on all the exercises in this video today. What a difference 56 days make. I love doing push-ups now.
I hit the P90X Ab Ripper X portion when the kids were eating breakfast so they were entertained watching their father grimace in pain and fall in a sweaty heap after Mason Twists. Good times!
Core synergistics is one of those P90X workouts that start out slow and fairly easy and work into a heart pounding, muscle pumping exercise routine. I’m at the end of my recovery week and although I miss not pumping iron like the other workouts, these unique combinations still provide a challenge. One of the benefits I experienced rather quickly after I started P90X was an increase in energy level. I’m not sure if it was this or because I only had X Stretch yesterday, but last night I was going a little stir crazy. I just felt like I needed to do an extra P90X routine to expend the energy. I even had trouble winding down to go to sleep. I don’t think I’ll have that problem tonight, you really get a workout with Core Synergistics.
One of my favorite move is Banana Roll, it’s a nice warm-up for what’s in store for you during these core exercises.
Did my weigh in last Tuesday after Biggest Loser and I finally broke out of a month long plateau of zero weight loss. I know we aren’t supposed to focus on what the scale shows, I haven’t had any other detectable changes. I just kept pushing play, tracking my calories and tried something that Tom Venuto suggested in his book, “Burn the Fat - Feed the Muscle“. I increased my caloric intake for one day to a level slightly above what is suggested by the P90X Nutritional Guide. I still ate clean, just increased the calories to send a signal to body that I wasn’t starving. After I did that, I finally dropped 1.5 pounds. I’m trying to maintain a gradual weight loss of one to two pounds a week.
First time doing the P90X Core Synergistics workout. I really liked this workout. I don’t know if it was because it was all new exercises, or because it was hitting the spots that I need to improve, but time really flew by. Before I knew it I was done and felt like I had a great workout. I was expecting just another Ab Ripper X type of P90X workout, it wasn’t that focused. It worked the whole core of your body, abs, shoulders, back, the whole enchilada.
I started my workout later in the day on Saturday. I started the workout with a sore back too, since earlier that day I helped my wife unload a TV she received from her parents after they upgraded to a flat screen. It wasn’t a huge TV, but the weight on those things always seem to be off center. I strained my back a couple of years ago when I took a week off of work and installed a brick paver patio. Not sure if it was the excavating with a shovel and a wheel barrow, or hauling the crushed rock from the driveway to the backyard, but I now have a back this a little more susceptible to backaches - that and a really nice patio.
Anyhow, what a day to have a back ache than the day I work on developing my back muscles. Since most of the exercises work on the upper back, it didn’t slow me down until I finished Legs and Back and went to Ab Ripper X. I eased through it and my back didn’t feel any worse than when I had started.
In fact, the benefit that I’ll be gaining from P90X is a stonger back and core muscles which will reduce any soreness in my back. The following day my back felt fine so I was ready to bring it one more day and then X-Rest.
Friday’s P90X workout starts out mighty early - it’s Yoga X day. With the 90 minute time commitment, my alarm clock is waking me from my slumber at 4:45 AM. I roll out bed and grab something to eat and slurp down some black coffee for an energy boost.
I felt a little off balanced today during Yoga X. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night. I really had to struggle on some of the balance poses. I don’t know about you, but those Yoga belly poses are Abripper X exercises in disguise.
I made it through and switched the DVD off before he started the Oms.
I stuck with the diet pretty well today until I met the rest of the family for dinner at an arcade/playland entertainment center. I knew there was going to be nothing but junk there so I ate an apple on the way from work. I ended up eating two slices of some really nasty tasting cheese pizza. Not only did I “cheat” on my diet, I had to do it with some mediocre pizza.
Today was Shoulders & Arms along with everyone’s favorite - Ab Ripper X. Shoulders and Arms went well and now that I have two sets of dumbells, I can use the heavy weights on the curls and the presses and the lighter weights on the triceps moves. My reps went down by about 5%, but the weight I was using was almost twice the weight I was using before so I felt like I was in the right reps/weight ratio for building mass. I can tell I really worked the arms today. I felt like I did the first day I completed this P90X routine, very sore in my arms and shoulders.
Completed Ab Ripper X. It’s still a challenge for me to complete all the reps of all the exercises. That’s a good thing. I’m out of shape and if it was easy, I’d be disappointed that the program wasn’t tough enough. My nine year old son did the entire Ab Ripper X workout including the bonus Mason Twists last night without much effort until he finished the last couple Mason Twists. He said he wanted to turn his four pack into a six pack. I remember those days. He has the same build and metabolism that I had when I was his age.
Wow…less than a week now and I’m at the 30 day point. I told my wife that I was going to go out clothes shopping to reward myself for doing P90X for 30 days and eating clean the whole time. I need new pants, the pairs I have now are getting too big - that’s a good thing! Over the years I’ve been buying pants with slightly larger waist every once in awhile. Then I discovered men’s maternity pants. You guys now what I’m talking about? They have the hidden waistband that expands. Instead of the waistband pinching into your gut and telling you that you’re getting chubby, it just grows right along with you. It’s time to say good bye to those khakis and donate them to charity.
