Plyometrics, a workout that I used to dread. It took time and a lot of work but I no longer dread it. Plyometrics was never part of my exercise routine before last year. That’s why it kicked my ass to the extent that it did for a while. It was hard to keep with it, but it’s now paying off.
Plyometrics still works me, it’s still a challenge and probably always will be. But, I’ve come to accept it. There’s nothing like a good challenge to keep you coming back for more.
I’m back baby! While the past few weeks with the family have been great and I wouldn’t have missed that time for the world, it does feel great to be back on with a top notch workout. There’s nothing like a workout routine that can kick your ass and make you feel like a million bucks at the same time.
Chest and Back is probably my favorite of all the P90X workouts. The pace of the exercises is methodical and the routine just works you. It works you to the point that the first few times through I got nauseous at the halfway point. I’ve been over the nausea for a while now, but for those just starting out and feeling that, you’re not the only one that it’s happened to, but be sure to pace yourself.
I’ve always been a fan of push-ups and I got the Perfect Pushup a few years ago as a gift. I use that with this workout instead of the push-up bars that Tony and crew uses in the video. The Perfect Pushup has a solid construction and I really haven’t experienced any kind of roll with the wide fly push-up exercise that Tony warns about.
Things have been exciting with my family as of late. My little niece is a perfect little addition to the family. I’ve been taking the time to enjoy these great times with the family and as I said with my last update I’m taking a bit of a break. I’ve been working out lightly so I can maintain the gains I’ve seen so far with P90X, but it’s nowhere near as intense as P90X. Life is slowly returning to normal and I’ll be back to Bring It very soon. I’ve still got the drive and I’ll be sharing it again.
This break has also given me a chance to reflect on the progress I’ve made and what my goals are. I also saw a great article over on FITBOMB, from another P90X blogger. I asked myself, can I really “get ripped” in 90 days or are those expectations too high?
Now, I’ve not hidden the fact that I essentially gave up on P90X before. Well, given up may be too strong. Frustrated and slacking may be better terms. Here’s a quick history lesson, I bought P90X in August of 2008. At that time I hit the gym routinely. I knew that I wasn’t in the best of shape, but thought I was in better shape than I really was a starting P90X showed me that very quickly. I struggled with many of the workouts, but kept up as best as I could. But of course life got in the way and I also found excuses to cut corners. Through the early part of this year, I blended some of my own workout routines with those in P90X.
It wasn’t until July that I had the drive again to go full board. I started the program about 50 pounds over my goal weight. Can someone like that “get ripped” in 90 days? Probably not. 180? 270 days? Maybe, probably.
Now have I seen improvements? Absolutely! Routines like Plyometrics and Legs and Back don’t beat me up like they used to. They are still intense, but they don’t kill me. I’ve seen increases in the amount of reps I can do and the amount of weight I use. My strength and flexibility have significantly improved and I’ve lost over 20 pounds.
I’ve previously written about why I got frustrated before and there are a few. I set very high goals for a short period of time. I didn’t see huge gains right away and failed to recognize the smaller wins. I had very high expectations.
For those just starting out, those on day 1 of P90X, it’s going to hard, it’s going to push you, and depending on the shape you are in when you start, may take you longer than 90 days to reach your goals. For people like me, who try to get into shape and lose a good deal of body fat, 90 days may not be enough. I don’t work for Beachbody and I’m not one of their “Coaches”. I’m just one of their customers who also likes to share his experiences with others.
But that won’t stop me from saying that P90X is the best workout I’ve ever done. A few years ago I spent some money on a personal trainer at the gym. It was a little pricey but I needed to shake things up and I definitely learned a few things. Without a doubt, Tony Horton has been the best trainer I’ve ever “worked” with.
It’s been a great ride so far with P90X and the journey isn’t over yet.
I’ve had to take some time off due to an addition to the family. Not mine, but my sister and brother-in-law’s. I’ve been spending a lot of my time with them enjoying their newest family member. I’ll be picking back up where I left off working out with P90X very soon. I haven’t stopped completed, just taking a short break.
Well this round of P90X has gone by pretty quickly. When I started back at the beginning of July, 90 days seemed like such a long time. Now not so much, but like I’ve come to realize, getting fit and staying fit is a journey, not a destination. That may sound cliche, but I keep telling myself that I have some lofty fitness goals. It’s going to take more than 90 days. Day 90 is a milestone date for me, not a completion date.
My goals when I started P90X again in July were to get in shape, lose weight (to the tune of about 55 – 65 pounds) and get leaner. I haven’t lost as much weight as I had targeted. Maybe I was too aggressive with the amount of weight I wanted to lose in that amount of time. But I have lost some and my clothes are fitting better and I’m starting to look leaner. I’ve also gotten into better shape since I started. I can complete exercises and routines I couldn’t before. I’ve seen tremendous improvement with some of the more difficult P90X workouts like Plyometrics and Core Synergistics.
So now the next step is to continue to build on those successes in the next round. But let’s not look too far ahead. I still have a few weeks left in this round and need to remain focused on those workouts.
This week was a good week and I had a great amount of energy and momentum. I continue to see small gains in the number of reps I can complete. Here’s what Week 10 of P90X looked for me:
Day 64 — Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
Day 65 — X Stretch
Day 66 — Back and Biceps
Day 67 — Yoga X
Day 68 — Legs and Back
Day 69 — Core Synergistics
Day 70 — Plyometrics
I know, I know. I can hear your questions and comments. Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat? Then how can adding muscle help me lose weight? Adding muscle means I’m going to weigh more. I feel bulky as it is, I want to lose size not add size.
Let me explain, just like muscle tissue weighs more than fatty tissue, not all cells in the body consume energy, metabolize calories, at the same rate. Let’s start with a simple look and then we’ll add more detail. Muscle cells are more “active” than fat cells and consume energy at a higher rate, even at rest.
Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the base amount of calories consumed by the functions of the body on a daily basis. These functions include no other activity like exercise or walking. In order to lose weight, you have to have a deficit of calories. You have to burn more than you take in. You can find a tool here to get an idea of what your RMR is.
This can be done a couple of different ways. You can go the diet only route which means eating less calories than your body needs on a daily basis. The bad news with this option is that your body does not discriminate when it comes to making up the difference in calories. It will burn both fat and muscle for energy.
The trap that develops here is that most people start a diet with the mindset that it’s temporary. In the back of their mind they feel that as soon as they get to their goal weight, they’ll go back to enjoying the foods they are currently giving up. By losing both fat and muscle tissue, they may actually have a lower RMR after the weight is gone than they had before they started. If those people go back to eating the way they were before, they’ll quickly gain the weight back, hence the “Yo-Yo” effect countless people have encountered.
With the exercise option, you are adding activity to increase the calorie deficit. Depending on what your exercise consists of, you can still fall into the trap of the diet only option.
The other option is to have a combination of a meal plan (a method of eating healthy that is not temporary and will help you lose weight without feeling like you are sacrificing) and exercise which includes some level of weight training, exercise to add muscle. Now, when I say add muscle, I don’t mean get bulky. I talk of adding lean muscle. Lean muscle may weigh more than fat, but it is not as bulky. Also as you burn that fatty tissue and add muscle in its place, you can increase your Resting Metabolic Rate.
If you’ve never done any kind of weight training before, I wouldn’t recommend hastily picking up weights and doing some form of exercise. That’s how you injure yourself and do more harm than good. Do research and find the types of exercises that will help you. Start with a weight that is right. Randomly picking a weight or one that is recommended by a friend is not a good idea. It may be a good idea for you to pick something lighter and see how your body responds. Lean muscle is built through less weight and more reps. If you do less reps with more weight, you’ll get bulky.
The one thing I’ve learned over the years is this process takes more than just effort, it takes time. Getting fit and staying fit is a journey, not a destination.
Yoga can be very beneficial to anyone’s health. If you’re doing basic Hatha Yoga, there are its positions that strengthen muscles, improve balance, and relax one’s mind and body. Bikram Yoga expands on this, utilizing twenty-six positions that have been determined to help the body heal.
Health Benefits Of Yoga Exercises
The health benefits of yoga exercises are almost too numerous to write about. They have been documented time and time again.
Many conditions are said to heal when one regularly practices yoga exercises. These include addictions, back ache, heart disorders, and sciatica.
There are many conditions that are said to be improved with regular yoga. These include diabetes, headaches, insomnia, asthma, and menstrual pains, to name just a few.
Yoga can also help stave off aging. The yoga philosophy says that the flexibility of the spine is more important than the number of years one has. Yoga helps one be healthier, as one lives longer.
Weight reduction is easier while practicing yoga exercises. A couple of things that yoga does to help with weight reduction are to clear the passageways within the body, oxygenate the body better, and relieves anxiety-based eating. When one has other techniques to relieve stress, one doesn’t have to reach for inappropriate foods.
Yoga exercises also help with one’s mental health. Yogis find that there is a clearing of mental activity, and a reduction of tension. It helps one avoid fear and accept faith; both help with the mental health. Practicing yoga exercises can also help one get along better with others, and makes one a person more people want to be around.
It only follows that practicing yoga exercises, with all the benefits listed, will improve the beauty of the body. It can give one a more beautiful figure, a more pleasant voice, and glowing face and charming smile, and gives one a better way of carrying oneself through life.
Those who practice yoga exercises believe in moderation, even in sex. They believe that too much sex will deplete the life force, but practicing yoga exercises can also help one get into meaningful relationships where sex is more desirable for both partners. There is also a type of yoga, Tantric Yoga that deals specifically with the sexual relationship.
Last week’s recovery week couldn’t have come soon enough. I was beat and it was tough getting up to workout. Well, the rest did the trick. This week I felt great. I was ready to go for the final Phase of P90X.
I know I’ve said it before, but the Chest and Back workout is my favorite. It’s all push ups and pull ups. It’s hardcore. About halfway through I start dragging, but then I catch my second wind and start to cruise. When I’m all done, I feel like a million bucks. Last year when I did P90X for the first time, i actually saw some losses on this workout going from Phase II to Phase III. This time around I’m seeing gains in both the number of reps and stamina.
The benefits from the Yoga X routine continue to show, even in the other P90X workouts. I don’t feel as stiff when I do Plyometrics and find it easier to move around. I also see some benefits with the Legs and Back workout. If you’re feeling uneasy about Yoga X, or are thinking you would rather do one of the muscle building workouts, give it a chance.
I’ve also called an audible with my lineup of P90X routines. I enjoy Kenpo X and it’s a fun workout, but it hasn’t been doing it for me. I guess it’s because it’s just not as intense as some of the other workouts. I’ve liked the feeling and results I’ve gotten from doing Core Synergistics more frequently. Core Synergistics is definitely intense and it targets some of my weak areas, my abdomen, my lower back, and my legs. I see myself subbing in Kenpo X at times in future, but for right now, Core Synergistics is in the starting line up.
Here’s what this week looked like:
Day 57 — Chest and Back
Day 58 — Plyometrics
Day 59 — X Stretch
Day 60 — Shoulders and Arms
Day 61 — Yoga X
Day 62 — Legs and Back
Day 63 — Core Synergistics
By the end of last week I was looking forward to the recovery period of week 8. I was feeling really beat and fatigued by the time week 7 finally came to a close.
The fatigue continued into the beginning of this week. I still needed to push myself to make sure I didn’t slack off and that I worked out while I was also resting up to regain my energy.
I don’t have much to write about this week. It was an enjoyable week that I used to focus on stretching with the Yoga X and X Stretch routines as well as my midsection with Core Synergistics.
As I sit here and put my thoughts of the week together, I’m feeling refreshed and re-energized. I’m looking forward to the start of Phase III tomorrow with a return to the Chest & Back workout.
Here’s what week 8 looked like:
Day 50 — Rest
Day 51 — X Stretch
Day 52 — Yoga X
Day 53 — Core Synergistics
Day 54 — Kenpo X
Day 55 — Core Synergistics
Day 56 — Yoga X
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