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Sep. 16
2008

Day 11

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was Yoga, but I didn’t get up early enough to do it this morning, so I had to put it off until I got home from work. Due to some time constraints, I had to cut it short, but I definitely felt like I got a better workout this time than last week, I think just not having to focus quite as much on how to do the moves. So I think Yoga will be a good day for me, I should start to enjoy it more, and I know I need the flexibility, too.

Tomorrow is Legs & Back and Ab Ripper. I was going to run after work, but since it’s our 3rd Anniversary tomorrow, I’ve got some other things to do after work so it’ll be just the strength stuff tomorrow.

Sep. 15
2008

Day 10

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Not much to say today about Shoulders & Arms, my biceps still felt like jello after I was done, and they’re starting to feel tired as I get closer to going to bed. Also, I went for a run after work today because it had been so long since my last run. Also, I feel like I’m in enough of a routine with the P90X stuff where I can add in some runs in the evenings, maybe two or three days a week, and still be ok. I did 5 miles at like 7:35 pace, and it felt good to be out there again.

Sep. 14
2008

Week 2 – Day 2

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was Plyo. Not much to say, it was still difficult and my heart rate climbed higher than I’ve seen it before (181 max), but hopefully I won’t be as sore from it as I was last week. Tomorrow is Shoulders & Arms with Ab Ripper, and I might try to run when I get home from work depending on how I feel.

Sep. 13
2008

Week 2

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today started the second week of my P90X journey with Chest & Back, followed by Ab Ripper X again. It was good to have the numbers from last week and notes to know if I needed to increase or decrease weight. I was also able to switch the bands better this time after having gone through it once. I think every week of this will go just a bit more smoothly than the last, but it didn’t get any easier. I also used my numbers to change the number of reps. I was able to do more pushups overall because I increased my first set, and still maxed out pretty high in the second set.

For food I had the protein shake, some Gatorade and water for hydration/elecrolytes, and followed that with an egg white/turkey sausage muffin and some OJ. Yum.

Sep. 12
2008

Day 7 – Rest/Stretch

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was my official rest day, but I took the opportunity to spend a few minutes warming up on the stationary bike, and then I got in a good stretch for 10 minutes or so. I’m hoping this extra time stretching will help me be ready to go tomorrow when Week 2 starts up again with Chest & Back and, of course, Ab Ripper X.

Sep. 11
2008

Day 6 – Kenpo

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was the last actual work day in Week 1 before tomorrow’s rest day. The workout was Kenpo X, which is some form of kickboxing, I guess. It’s not really my type of thing, and I don’t even feel like I got as good of a workout as if I had gone for even a 30 minute run, but I’ll give it another shot next week in case I just wasn’t doing it right or with enough intensity since I was still trying to figure out the moves.

I’m a bit sore still from Legs & Back yesterday, so I might run a bit real easy tomorrow morning to get a good stretch in and work out some of the soreness before Week 2 starts on Saturday. I think some of the Plyo and other Leg work will really help with my running, since I know my legs are weak, they can just go forever. So with a little bit more power, I can get some good speed work in and hopefully improve my times.

Sep. 10
2008

Day 5 – Legs & Back

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was Legs and Back, followed by Ab Ripper again. I was surprised that the “Back” portion was more pullups and chinups, instead of lower-back core-type stuff. But it helped to break up the squats and lunges of the Leg portion, which was tough since I am still recovering from Plyo on Sunday. I also had a harder time getting up this morning than other days, hopefully I’ll get more into a routine over the next week or so, and it won’t be as bad getting up.

Tomorrow is Kenpo, which should be interesting. I’ve never done any sort of martial arts stuff, so we’ll see how it goes. Depending on how it is, I may end up switching it out with a running day if it’s mostly just cardio so I can stay in running shape during this. Otherwise, I may go for an easy run on Friday mornings to get some good stretching in since it’s my Rest/Stretch day.

I had my first protein shake this morning, which was pretty tasty (mmmmm, chocolate). I need to work on mixing it better, though, and may end up adding in some berries or something in a blender for some extra flavor. Other than that, I think my diet has been pretty good except I might be short on hydration. I’m going to try drinking another bottle of water at work, and more at home while we watch TV and stuff after dinner.

Sep. 09
2008

Day 4 – Yoga

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was Yoga X. Not too bad, just really long – the DVD is 92 minutes. It wasn’t as much stretching as I had hoped for, since I was so tight and sore from the first three days, but still had a good 20-25 minutes of stretching at the end. The first 45-50 minutes or so was pretty repetitive, with a lot of Sun Salutations over and over, ending with a slightly different pose each time. I certainly didn’t feel like I had done as hard of a workout as I had the last few days, but I know I got a good workout, and some good stretching, so it’s worthwhile.

Around 8 or 9:00 last night, my biceps and triceps started to get sore, and they’re worse this morning. Fortunately, my legs are starting to recover from Plyometrics since tomorrow is Legs and Back.

Sep. 08
2008

Day 3

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was Shoulders & Arms, plus Ab Ripper X. The first video is a shoulder exercise, a bicep exercise, and a tricep exercise, you repeat those three, and move on to another one. You follow that pattern 5 times, for 30 different sets over a little under an hour (inlcuding warmup and cooldown). Then when you’re just about spent, you work your abs for 16 minutes.

I can tell I’m starting to get better at the Ab Ripper DVD already, so I’m looking forward to seeing the next couple of weeks of the other workouts.

Tomorrow is Yoga X, which is really long (90+ minutes), but supposed to be pretty tough for yoga. I’m looking at maybe swapping Kenpo (Day 6) with a running day down the line, but I’ll at least do it once to get a feel for whether I like it or not.

Sep. 07
2008

Day 2 – Plyo X

Written by: Matt - Posted in: P90X,Training -

Today was Day 2 of my P90X program – Plyometrics. It’s basically jump training, with lots of jump squats, tire runs, quick jumps, etc. It was four sets of four workouts, all either 30 or 60 seconds, repeated. So you do workouts 1, 2, 3, 4, then to 1, 2, 3, 4 again, then go on to 5, 6, 7, 8, etc. It lasts about an hour including warmup and cooldown, and is a great cardio workout, but also really works your legs. I’m lucky to have a decent cardio base to make it through without too much trouble, I feel sorry for more beginner people attempting it for the first time.

Tomorrow is “Shoulders & Arms” and “Ab Ripper X” again. Things will get interesting then, since I’ll have to use my sore upper body again.