P90X: Round 2: Week 2

I had an OK week this week...still not eating nearly as good as I'd like to be.  As I said last week, that 6-week in-between period really screwed me up and had my mind telling me it's OK to eat that way...I've already lost 50 pounds!  True, but I really want to get down below 200 and that will take another 27 pounds.  I don't think I'll get there eating like this.  I'm not sure how to fix it...but I need to...soon.

As for the program, I had to adjust again.  Monday was our last Senior legion baseball game so I missed that workout and moved everything out.  Then, it was so hot Wednesday night (when I was supposed to do Plyometrics...which I have to do in the garage) that I did Kenpo inside instead.  This was supposed to push Plyometrics to Friday but it was 100+ degrees again and I decided to do Yoga...hoping it would be cooler on Sunday...which it was.

Basically, as you can see below...I did no workout on the day it was originally scheduled.  :)  Oh well, I got them all done, so that's the important thing.

Monday: Chest and Back No Workout
Tuesday: Plyometrics Chest and Back
Wednesday: Shoulders and Arms Kenpo
Thursday: Kenpo Shoulders and Arms
Friday: Shoulders and Arms Yoga
Saturday: Yoga Legs and Back
Sunday: Stretch Plyometrics

I think I'm going to try to do Stretch tonight if I have time to (which I should).  I really enjoyed it last year, when it was the only workout on Sunday and especially after I did Legs and Back, which leaves me sore every time.

Dan

P90X: Round 2: Week 1

I've come to the end of my first week of P90X round 2, and boy was it painful!   I wouldn't think that taking 6 weeks off between would make such a big difference, but I was really sore this week...just like I was during the first week of round 1.  Now it's Sunday and I'm feeling much better...with the usual glute/upper leg soreness from Legs and Back.  I'm hoping that week 2 is much easier and less sore like it was in week 1.

As for eating, I'm not doing as good as I should be.  Not horrible, just not as good as I'd like.  The 6 week period between rounds has brought back some bad habits that I need to rid myself up pretty quick here.

As for the program, I've made one simple change.  I've swapped Yoga and Kenpo around.  I now do Kenpo on Thursday and Yoga on Saturday, when I have more time for a 90 minute workout.  Kenpo is <60 minutes, so it just makes sense.

So, one week down...12 to go.  I'm really excited about where this round is going to take me and my fitness level.  I'd love to see my abs, but if I don't, that's ok because I still will have worked my ass off during that 13 weeks.

Talk to you next Sunday!!

Dan

Round 2, Day 5: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Well, just like the Yoga workout I did today, I "nailed" the legs and back workout too.  Again, I don't know what it is, but I was really going after it tonight.  I would have expected that with my doing two workouts today, I may have trouble with legs and back, and I guess some of the "usual suspects": were still harder than others (I really stink at balance lunges), but again I was huffing and puffing after this workout more than I ever did the firs time around.

Ab Ripper was pretty much a carbon copy of Wednesday's workout.  I did all of the reps with a couple going past the "time limit" imposed on the TV.  None more than 5-10 seconds, though.

Maybe this is a sign of what's to come.  I really have a great feeling about how I'm going to feel when day 90 of round 2 rolls around.  I have 2 goals.  1) I want to go below 200 pounds. 2) I'd love to see my abs.  I don't know if either are possible, but they are goals that I can shoot for, right?

Kenpo tomorrow morning, as I have a busy Saturday planned.  Baseball tournament, wedding reception, and Wendy's 20 year class reunion.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Dan

Round 2, Day 4: Yoga X

All I can say is WOW!  I've never had a Yoga X workout like that before!  I don't know if it's just my energy level today (can't be that...I've had 11.5 hours of sleep the past 3 days) or what, but I "brought it" during the workout today.  I was down farther than I'd ever been before on the Crescent/Warrior poses.  The only thing I can this of is I was really trying to work on my breathing during the poses..that and closing my eyes when possible.  I've been told it helps...maybe they're right!!  I sweat my "you know what" off!!

Report for Legs and Back coming up!!

Dan

Round 2, Day 4: Baseball!!

We had a juniors-only double-header Thursday night in Holton, KS.  Beat 'em 13-2 and 11-0!  Got home a little after 11pm.  I considered doing the Yoga workout, but I would have ended at nearly 1am (too late) and I also had another job to do.

We are using iPads to keep our baseball scorebooks this year.  The app we use is good, but it takes some getting used to...I still get stuck with it sometimes.  Anyway, last night the Seniors had a double-header too...at home against Hiawatha, KS.  The senior coach usually keeps the iPad for our junior games, but of course he wasn't there.  I could have kept it, but I was coaching 3rd base, and it's hard to relay signals when you have an iPad in your hands and are trying to keep score.  So I had one of the parents of a junior player keep the book on a regular paper book.  Because we send our results to the newspaper and radio guys in town, I needed to get the results from the paper book into the iPad, so I spent some time doing that rather than the Yoga workout.

I have to go into work for a bit this morning, so the plan is to do Yoga around lunch time and then do the regular Friday workout, Legs and Back, later this evening.  Should the situation arise where I only have time for one workout, I'll do Legs and Back.  I don't mind the Yoga workout, but my goals with this program are to 1) Lose weight and 2) Build muscle.  The Legs and Back workout better supports those goals, so I'll pick it if I'm forced to choose.

Dan

Day 83: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Did the workout after I got home from a busy day Saturday.  Had the baseball tournament in the afternoon...2 games (see update), and then a family get-together in the evening.  The workout, last one, went good, as usual, as this workout really doesn't give me many problems.  The balance lunges are always tough for some reason at the beginning, but no real big problems.

As for Ab Ripper X, the pulse-ups (20/25) kept me from getting 349 for the last workout for this round of P90X.  No worries, though. I maxed out twice, which was my goal so I'm happy.  Also, no more Ab Ripper X workout for a few months until I start up again!

Dan

Day 82: Yoga X

Another late night workout!  Just finished at a quarter until 1am!  Hoorah!  Despite the late hour, this was the easiest (and quickest) Yoga X to date.  Now, the question is can I get up early enough to do my Legs & Back workout (with Ab Ripper X) before leaving for the baseball games?  I'm thinking I can.

BTW, Wendy and I went and saw What to Expect When You're Expecting in St. Joseph Friday night.  Pretty good flick...lots of funny parts.  Elizabeth Banks is hilarious in this movie!

OK, so off to bed.

Dan

Day 75: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Another late night workout today, as I started up after 10pm.  I think I'm getting used to it, though, because it doesn't seem to bother me as much as it did before.  And doing it this way lets me spend max time with the family as well, which is a big priority for me... especially since baseball is taking up a large part of my time too.

Legs and back was pretty much the same as usual.  I did do a little better with the balance lunges which had given me problems in the past.  One thing that has given me problems recently is my left hip.  Whenever I do a low lunge with my left leg back, it gives me a small pain there.  I've also felt some numbness there, so I'm not sure what that is all about.  Didn't bother me at first, but is giving me a occasional twinge now and then.  Something to monitor.

I'm up to 340/349 on Ab Ripper X now, and I have three more shots at that elusive 349 number.  Cautiously optimistic that I'll get there.

Lots of baseball this weekend, with two games in Tecumseh tomorrow night and 2 games in Syracuse Sunday afternoon.  I wouldn't have it any other way, though.  Baseball rules!  :)  I also play golf tomorrow and have to be there at 8:30, so I'm going to need to get up in the morning and do Kenpo because I won't be home until after midnight more than likely.

Dan

Day 74: Yoga X

Well, I did a weigh in yesterday morning, and I'm now down 38 pounds from "Day 0" of the program.  That's down 4 pounds from day 60, so the progress has slowed down somewhat.  But, as you  know from previous posts, my eating has been sliding slightly the past few weeks for some reason.  Still, I'm losing weight and feeling and looking much better.  I really couldn't be much happier!

Did Yoga last night, and it was a little tougher for me than it had been the past few weeks.  Again, I did it late, so that may have been a factor...but I did complete it.  Only three more of those left...not that I'm counting or anything!  :)   One positive on the workout was that I didn't have to use a block on any of the exercises (triangle, half moon, right angle, etc.)  I was able to get the other hand into the air just fine without needing the block, so that's good.

Anyway, on to today's "bun bruising" Legs and Back workout and another Ab Ripper!

Dan

Day 68: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

"2nd verse...same as the first"
Another busy one today...which resulted in me starting my workout after 10pm.  Ugh!  I think I'm just going to have to accept these later workouts based on how busy I now am with work and coaching baseball.  Guess what?  This weekend isn't going to give me any relief.  Tomorrow are two baseball games at 1pm and 3pm.  then Sunday we are going to Central City for a graduation ceremony for one of Wendy's former students.  Central City is a 3.5 hour drive from Falls City!  :)

The workout went well tonight, even with the late start. I did much better on the balance lunges than I had in the past.  I also did some leg lifts with Eric (the guy on the video) during the leg lift squats.  Toe roll iso's are tough on the right leg for some reason.  I'm not sure if it's because that leg goes 2nd, or if that leg really is inferior somehow.  Oh, and my resistance band broke at the end by the handle.  Good thing I have a Dick's Sporting Goods card!

On Ab Ripper, I was a little short of my record I set on Monday, but still 2nd best ever.  Oh, and for clarification...when I count the Ab Ripper X reps, I only count what I can do by the time the people on the video get to then end of their reps.  I could max all of them, given more time.  But this is how I'be counted them all allong, so I'm not changing now!

Have a great weekend everyone!  Kenpo tomorrow!!

Dan

Day 67: Yoga X

A busy day today!!! Worked for 1/2 a day. Then helped out at Avery's field day at North School. If you're wondering, she got 3rd in her class in the frisbee throw and also competed in softball throw, football throw and soccer ball kick. In the running events, she did the 50yd dash and the sack race. After that, I had baseball practice until almost 6:00 and finally Megan had a South School Musical at 7:00! What a day! To top it all off, I got the distinct privilege of doing Yoga X! All kiddIng aside, this Yoga X workout was better than some in that it didn't seem like it took as long. I'm not sure why but I like it! Nothing really changed tonight...still got up into wheel (for a few seconds) and did crane some. Still cant get my feet or knees down in plough. Also, I'm using the yoga block for both hamstring stretches now. I'm almost to the heel of the block on the left foot so I may soon be rotating it to get more reach. Work day tomorrow, so I'd better get to bed. Legs and back tomorrow. Night all!! Dan

Day 61: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Well, I am caught up with workouts now!  I didn't do Ab Ripper yesterday because I had already done Yoga in the morning and Legs and Back in the evening.  I did it this morning.  Now, when I do Kenpo tonight I'll be back on schedule.  Whew!  I'm really going to try and focus on getting these workouts done earlier so I don't run into these problems again!

Legs and Back went just fine, as usual.  I'm doing more reps now on the pull-up exercises with the bands.  I'm excited to see if I can do one "real" pull up during my post-fit test.  I'd at least hope to be able to do one!

At the dinner for my mom's birthday last night I had a very good dinner!  I had grilled salmon with some teryaki sauce, some steamed broccoli and a salad.  Very good!

Ok, so Kenpo tonight.  I have baseball scrimmages today at 1 and 3 and then an 80th birthday party for my Grandfather after that.  I hope to be home by 8 at the latest, which won't be too bad.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Dan

Day 60: Yoga X

Well, I'm pulling double-duty on an off-Friday again.  I didn't do Yoga X on Thursday as scheduled, but instead did it this morning.  First of all (as as before), it's mostly the same issue of not getting enough sleep.  I really would like to do the workouts earlier in the evenings, but I don't want to infringe on family time, so I wait until they go to bed.  Then, I get done with the workouts late.  Some days I get up at 4 so I can leave work early enough to make morning baseball practice.  It all adds up to not enough sleep.  Not sure how to fix it...but I definitely need to do something!

Secondly, we went to the brand new Dick's Sporting Goods in St. Joseph yesterday after work!  I could spend hours in that place....there's so much to look at!  I needed a new ball glove anyway, as mine was pretty much toast after 10+ years of use.  We didn't get home until about 9:30, so the combination of the last of sleep the night before and the late hour pretty much knocked me out.

So I did Yoga X this morning, and I still struggle a lot with it...by far the most of any workout in the program.  I don't feel to bad though because I've heard from a lot of people that it's the toughest for them as well.  Like I've always said, it's a great opportunity to improve myself in the areas of flexibility and balance.

DAY 60!! The official weight loss numbers are 34.3 pounds lost and 3.9% body fat shaved off...I'm now below 35% body fat!  34.3 pounds was more than I expected, so I was happy about that!  Also, the new pictures went up last night and can be viewed from the "P90X" Pictures link at the top of this blog.  You can definitely see improvements in the back flex pictures and in all pictures, you can see the reduction of the spare tire and general loss of the gut.  There's still plenty there, but it's certainly getting smaller.

OK, so now I need to mow that jungle I call a front yard.  Take Megan to the dentist...and then do Legs and Back before we head to Auburn to have a birthday dinner with my mom!  Busy day!

Dan

Day 47: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Just a short note, as I'm in a hurry to get up to the Husker baseball game.  I was able to get the lawn mowed, watch Megan at a track meet, and still get in the Legs and Back and Ab Ripper workouts!  Pretty busy day!

I really pushed myself on the pull ups (still with bands) and beat all of my previous reps on each exercise!  Yeah!  On Ab Ripper X I really pushed myself and bested my previous goal ( I was shooting for 300) by 12 reps!  307!!!  Still working on form.

Off to Lincoln!  Kenpo tomorrow!!

Dan

Day 46: Yoga X

Well, I had my first P90X program "boo-boo" yesterday.  I was so tired from the limited sleep the night before that I fell asleep last night without doing Yoga!  Around 9pm, Wendy asked me if I wanted to watch Modern Family on our DVR.  As it's our favorite show, I made the mistake of saying "yes" and got into bed to watch it with her...fully planning on doing Yoga after it was over.  Oops!  Obviously, the issue of doing the workouts as early as possible is a concern, because I don't want this sort of thing to start becoming a habit!  I need to work on my procrastination!

Therefore, I did Yoga X this morning, and will be doing today's regularly scheduled workout, Legs and Back, after lunch.  I would wait a little later in the evening, but our baseball team is going to Lincoln to watch the Huskers play Purdue tonight, and I won't be back until probably Midnight at the latest.  Don't want to wait that long.

Not much change on Yoga, though I did do Crane for a bit longer than I have in the past.  It helped to touch one toe on the floor when I felt I was coming out of it and then went back up again, which helped reduce the down time.  I also tried Wheel, and I can get into position, but can't get the head off of the floor.  I'll have to continue to work on that one.  Also, Half Moon seems a bit easier...I remember at the beginning I couldn't do it at all!

I'll be back in a few hours with the Legs and Back post!

Dan

Day 40: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Well, being away from home this past few days had it's downsides in the eating arena.  No, I didn't go to McDonald's and order two Big Mac's and a large french fries.  I did slip a bit, though.  I mentioned in yesterday's post about my meal at the Autism conference.  Today, I was pretty limited at breakfast.  The conference did a very poor job of providing food, and therefore the lines were horribly long and the food was horribly scarce.  What I ended up with this morning was some dry piece of yellow "cake".  So I had that and coffee.  For lunch, Wendy and I skipped the ling lines and went to Spaghetti Works.  I had a salad and a plate of spaghetti with regular red sauce.  Oh, and did I mention the piece of garlic bread?  On the way back to the conference we stopped at the Cookie Factory and shared a chocolate chip.  They are pretty big, but I would say my half was a little bigger than a cookie you'd get at Subway.  Tonight, we went to our hometown mexican place and I had chips and salsa along with my typical chicken taco salad with no sour cream or guacamole.  I did, however, eat half of the salad shell (I usually don't eat any of it).  I should have had the talapia with steamed vegetables I've had before.  But I talked myself into something else that wasn't as healthy.  Shame on me!

Not horrible, right?  Could have been a lot worse, right?  Right!  However, I don't eat that way anymore.  This was a regression (slight or not) to the way I was before I changed nearly 6 weeks ago.  And, as I've said in prior posts, I'm susceptible to increased regression if I give even an inch of slack.  Therefore, I'm upset about it but I will not let it affect my resolve.  Tomorrow I'll be back to my "new" way of eating.  The healthy way.

On to the workouts.  Pretty standard for me.  I'm trying to use some heavier weights where my logs show things may have been a bit too easy.  For some reason, the first exercise (the Balance Lunge with the chair) has been tough for me.  I have a hard time getting the non-chair leg out far enough so that when I lunge my knee isn't too far over the foot.  It's hard to keep my balance.

For Ab Ripper, I had 290 tonight, which is 2nd best to Wednesday's total of 295.  I really struggle with Crunchy Frog.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to make it easier, please let me know.  My biggest issue is I tend to want to lean back too far with my chest and I think that makes it tougher.  Other than that, things seem to be getting a little easier.  Still need better form across the board.

Kenpo tomorrow!

Dan

Day 39: Yoga X

Another day...another workout!  Yoga yesterday in my hotel room here in the Cornhusker Mariott in Lincoln.  Not much to say about the workout other than I still struggle with the same poses.  Last Thursday I was able to do the half moon (normal and twisting) as lot better.  Yesterday it was tough again.  That one leg that is down during that sequence gets on fire in a hurry!

For lunch yesterday I had chicken and steak fajitas with rice.  The fajitas had a little cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa.  For dinner I had a salad and then a smothered piece of roast beef, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Obviously the gravy on the roast beef wasn't the greatest for me and the potatoes (I only ate half) busted my carb portions.  However, I didn't have a choice as to what was on the plate.  If you've ever been to any conference like this, they bring you the plate right to the table.  No worries, it was minor and it was one meal.  My goal is to continue to make the right choices when I do have a choice...which is the majority of the time.  I'm doing great on this so far, so I have no concerns.

Heading home later this afternoon and then I have the Legs and Back workout.

Day 33: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Got the workout done early today, since we are headed to Kansas City after lunch.  I did fine except I struggled a little bit with the wall squat...not sure why.  I wasn't able to hold it for the full 90 seconds today.  My legs also got a little rubbery at the end of the "marathon lunges" as I like to call them.

As for Ab Ripper X, at the beginning I really though I was hosed.  My legs and hip flexors were spent.  However, I was able set another new personal record for reps...288.  I upped my Mason Twist number to 45!  Now, as I've said before, the form still isn't there on these, so don't think I'm doing 45 like the people on the video.  I've never touched the floor on them because I can reach it.  I get by my hip and that's about it.  Also, I need to get my chest up more on the leg climbs...I barely get my shoulders up.  On the oblique V-ups, I can keep my legs together and keep them off of the ground, but I don't get my shoulders up off the floor much except for the first few reps.  In other words, I have lots of room for improvement.

Off to KC.  I don't know where we are eating, but as usual I'm going to get the most healthy thing on the menu!  I'm thrilled with my progress, and there's no way I'm reverting now!

Dan

Day 32: Yoga X

Another day...another Yoga workout.  I got some improvements in Crane, only held it for about 7-8 seconds, but it was better than nothing.  I also was able to hold half moon and twisting half moon for longer than I have in the past.  I still have trouble with plough (for reasons I have posted many times) and keeping both legs straight up on shoulder stand.  But, all in all, I'm happy with my progress.

Warrior 3	Bridge
Crane

Finally finished the mowing of the cemetery today!  I went out there for about 2 hours and man was it cold!  I almost needed a jacket.  The site is on a hill, so it's always windy up there.  (Makes it easier to blow the cut grass off of the grave markers).  Now, the part we did last Saturday is just about ready to go again!

Off to Kansas City tomorrow and Saturday to celebrate my Mom's birthday.  Luckily, I'm only staying one night, so I don't have to worry about doing any workouts away from home.  No worries if I did, though, because I have the band I can use in lieu of the weights.  Anyway, I'll be doing Legs and Back in the morning tomorrow before we leave and then I'll do Kenpo when we get back Saturday night.

Lastly, I was thrilled to hear that my buddy and co-worker Darin may be starting P90X.  I received a text from him last night that simply said "P1".  I knew exactly what he meant because people at work always ask me what P-number I'm on (how many days have I been doing the program).  He again texted me this morning and asked me what equipment he needs for Chest and Back.  I have a feeling that my progress has inspired him.  I hope he keeps with it.

Dan

Day 19: Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X

Another day to check off of the calendar.  Today was a day off for me, so I got a lot done.  I started the day off by shampooing the living room and upstairs foyer carpets.  They really needed it.  We're going to do the main traffic areas of the bedrooms later tonightm  We rented a Rug Doctor and are considering buying something similar which will save us money in the long run...plus we'll be able to clean the carpets more often.

Because of the carpet cleaning, I didn't get the workout started until around 1:45.  It wasn't morning, which I had hoped for, but I still get the evening to myself again.  Last night was great because I could come home from the NHS induction and watch some basketball.

As for the workout, I did about the same as last week.  Today was the first day I was able to stay down in the well squat for the full 90 seconds.  Only did 55 seconds last week.  The single leg wall squats weren't quite as good, so maybe it was a wash.  On the pull-up exercises, I backed up some to get some better resistance.

6 Ab Ripper workouts in a row now with increases in reps.  I'm up to 285 now, compared to about 165 on day 1.  Now if I could just get rid of this "ab cover", so I can see the progress being made down there!  :)  Maybe after P90X round 2!

Speaking of round 2, I don't want to get ahead of myself.  Don't get me wrong...I'm thrilled with my results so far and ever happier with my ability to stick with eating right for these 19 days.  Like I wrote in an earlier post, I'm hoping to make these eating habits permanent...P90X or no P90X.  The workouts are just the gravy on top to get me in the physical shape I want to be in going forward.

I haven't been posting much about what I've been eating lately, but that's because it's pretty much similar every day.  For breakfast, I choose between an apple, 2 pieces of turkey bacon, whole wheat toast with jam, fried egg whites, and cottage cheese.  For snacks, I usually have a vanilla why shake with banana, celery, tuna, pistachios, a 50 calorie fruit cup or string cheese.  For lunch I have either a Boca burger (with ketchup, mustard and a fat-free cheese slice) or a turkey and (fat-free) cheese sandwich with fat-free mayo on whole wheat bread, baby carrots, nonfat yogurt, or a piece of fruit.  For dinner I've had salmon, chicken breast and steak with some kind of microwaved vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower, and even brussel sprouts).  I've also had whole wheat spaghetti.  In eating all of this food, I'm hoping that my brain is learning that eating is about nourishment and not getting some "high" off of eating bad foods that taste "good".  These foods I've been eating don't have the flavor of a Big Mac or corn chips and cheese dip.  However, they still taste fine and are contributing to my better health.

My favorite exercise Kenpo is tomorrow.

Dan