P90x2 - DONE!

I finished up my last PAP Upper workout this morning.  I ended up taking a few extra days off this week so I'm a little late.  PAP really wore me out.  The extra days off at the end allowed me to finish much stronger.  I technically still have a recovery week, but that almost always gets skipped by most people.  I might throw a stretch and yoga in just to get something done.

So, what were my overall thoughts?  As with all programs, there are things I like and things I didn't like.  Phase one, focusing on core, was good for me, but I still prefer more of the lifting stuff.
In phase 2, X2 really started to ramp up into the areas I like.  I will say, while I enjoyed much of the lifting, the focus on core and balance didn't allow me to get the reps, or depth of strength, I had from P90x.  Take for instance push ups.  In P90x, I was doing 20-30 push ups for most sets.  In X2, doing them on the med ball, you're only about to get 8-12.  So I feel like I don't have that deep strength to do a million push ups anymore.  Still, the exercises were challenging and I think mixing some of P90x Chest/Back with P90x2 chest/back would result in a great workout.  Base and Back is a fantastic workout....plyo+legs...enough said.

Phase 3....PAP.  The first time I previewed the videos, I thought ho-hum.  Then I did them.  PAP is hard.  It's meant to be.  It pushes you all over the place and then expects you to go looking for more.  I really enjoyed the challenge of it and despite doing each routine twice a week, didn't get bored with it.  That being said, I'd love to see PAP Upper 2 and PAP Lower 2.

So now I'm done.  Time to figure out what's next.  I had finally started to clamp down on my eating during the start of phase 3, and had lost 5 or so pounds, then the 4th of July arrived and I gained it all back.  I'm getting back on the diet track, but I'll definitely need a workout to back it up.  Current contenders include a P90x/X2 hybrid or a MMA style workout put out by TapouT.  I'd love to try the new Beachbody Tai Chi workout as a less pounding option, but I'm not willing to pull the trigger on the cost for something I may or may not like.