I believe this is the longest day of phase one. Weighing in at 1 hour and twenty minutes, you're spending a fair amount of time with Tony and the kids.
The workout starts with the same standard warm up. Some of it I like, some of it I don't. Since I didn't have any sore spots, I skipped the foam roller and did some stretching instead.
This workout continues the core/balance theme of phase one. First exercise, one arm chest press on the medicine ball and moved on from there. If you aren't pull up capable, like me, you'll have to modify a couple exercises, but otherwise, a good workout. There are some tough ones, medicine ball, side arm balance, push ups. I had to work hard to not slide off the ball and break my wrist. There are a few exercises done from the warrior 3 position as well, which really works the leg/glute/core.
One thing to be mindful of is switching legs. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Since this is a repeat workout, you'll do the right leg only, for a couple exercises, and the left leg only, the second time through.
For those of you that missed the prison cell push up from P90x Core Synergistics, you'll be more than happy with the mule kick burpee as a replacement.
This workout wraps up with our first shot at Ab Ripper X2. I wasn't a huge fan of Ab ripper in P90X, mainly because of the additional time commitment. I will say, so far, I like the X2 version a bit better as there is someone demoing a modified/easier version of most exercises. Not being flexible enough to straighten my legs, really hampers the ability to do some of the exercises.
Overall, a good workout, with plenty of hard moves. I do miss the focus on certain body parts. For example, when I did P90X and did chest/back, I was wiped out, I had to dig deep and really work those muscle groups. We haven't had that deep focus on a body part yet. I believe we won't see that till phase 2.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
X2 Recovery and Mobility
I don't get it. I tried, I did the whole workout, but I just don't get it. And I really wanted to love it.
Lets start with the fact that I'm not the most limber person. I wasn't able to touch my tows till P90X. But I will say I did enjoy the Stretch routine from P90X, on the rare occasion I did not sleep in and skip it on rest day.
The workout runs around 55 minutes. You start with a few sun salutations. The first of which is so long you want to beat Tony with the foam roller you thought you needed to buy. After that, you jump into a few easy "mobility" exercises that aren't taxing. You eventually return to these and I think the point is to show you how much better off you are.
After this, it's foam roller time. For something like 30 minutes, you roll around on the ground with the roller. I felt like I was cheating on my wife. To start, Tony doesn't demo. He wanders around, "coaching" the other people, which is nice, if you have a clue what you're doing. Finally, after 4 minutes of working the roller on one leg, he sits down and shows you how to do it on the other leg. I feel nothing but discomfort. And maybe this is where I don't get it. As I understand the roller, you're supposed to use it for self massage. But all he really tells you to do it roll around till you find a sore spot, and then push on it with the roller. Maybe the fact I'm not sore is the problem. But the only spots I could find that hurt weren't muscular so massaging them wasn't doing any good.
You wrap this up and do a couple of the exercises you did at the start. The "kids" all say how much better they feel. But there's still 12 or 15 minutes left? Now you get into the really long stretches. The ones you hold for 90ish seconds. There are 6 or 7 of them. Then it's wrap time.
I've read some other reviews online and people love it. So far, I don't, and I'm disappointed in that, you do this twice a week and I really wanted to feel as great as people say they do when they finish it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I couldn't wait to finish.
I will not give up on it and plan to try it again, the next time it is scheduled.
Please comment if you've done this and what your experience was. Thanks.
Lets start with the fact that I'm not the most limber person. I wasn't able to touch my tows till P90X. But I will say I did enjoy the Stretch routine from P90X, on the rare occasion I did not sleep in and skip it on rest day.
The workout runs around 55 minutes. You start with a few sun salutations. The first of which is so long you want to beat Tony with the foam roller you thought you needed to buy. After that, you jump into a few easy "mobility" exercises that aren't taxing. You eventually return to these and I think the point is to show you how much better off you are.
After this, it's foam roller time. For something like 30 minutes, you roll around on the ground with the roller. I felt like I was cheating on my wife. To start, Tony doesn't demo. He wanders around, "coaching" the other people, which is nice, if you have a clue what you're doing. Finally, after 4 minutes of working the roller on one leg, he sits down and shows you how to do it on the other leg. I feel nothing but discomfort. And maybe this is where I don't get it. As I understand the roller, you're supposed to use it for self massage. But all he really tells you to do it roll around till you find a sore spot, and then push on it with the roller. Maybe the fact I'm not sore is the problem. But the only spots I could find that hurt weren't muscular so massaging them wasn't doing any good.
You wrap this up and do a couple of the exercises you did at the start. The "kids" all say how much better they feel. But there's still 12 or 15 minutes left? Now you get into the really long stretches. The ones you hold for 90ish seconds. There are 6 or 7 of them. Then it's wrap time.
I've read some other reviews online and people love it. So far, I don't, and I'm disappointed in that, you do this twice a week and I really wanted to feel as great as people say they do when they finish it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I couldn't wait to finish.
I will not give up on it and plan to try it again, the next time it is scheduled.
Please comment if you've done this and what your experience was. Thanks.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
X2 Plyocide...where's my 30 seconds!?!?
Not at all like I expected.
First off, I had little to no soreness from the Core workout. I was expecting some. So I had fewer excuses for this 55 minute workout.
The warmup is the same as the day before. Some more with the stability ball followed by some with the foam roller. I'm still not sold on the foam roller, but we'll see tomorrow as I guarantee my calves will be screaming. Then he dives into a few more of the same stretches, inch worm(hate it), scorpion(like it), groiners(eh), and there might be one or 2 more. I know all you P90x fans will be sad, no lunge sequence. So it's 10-12 minutes till we are into the workout.
The workout consists of 5 blocks, each with 4 exercises, each lasting a minute. What happened to,"You can do anything for 30 seconds"? The first of which is not a plyometric exercise. So it breaks down to 20 exercises over the 25-30 minutes you are sweating. He dives right into it with the Killer Katherine Lunge. It's a Mary Katharine Lunge with a medicine ball that you shift from side to side. It's a tough starter in my opinion. A couple exercises later and it's slalom time, jump left to right, moving forward and back in groups of 4, just like a skier. My calves were dying by this point. I will definitely try to stretch them next time.
There are several moves you're going to have to concentrate to do. He does break into the equipment pile again, using the stability ball, foam roller, medicine ball(a 4lb will do), and a plyo box. I didn't have a plyo box handy so I just used the single step that separates our family room with the room I workout in. Not as high as Tony has, but high enough.
One thing I did like was there were a couple balance exercises where he said, every time you touch the floor, you owe 2 pushups. The first exercise, I only had 4 to do. The second, a whole lot more. But it was an interesting twist.
The cool down and end stretch, I'm not sold on. The workout ends with over 10 minutes left on the clock and after a quick cool down, we move into a new stretching philosophy. I forget what he calls it, but there is pushing and relaxing and you need a towel or a band of something like that. My towel now looks like I walked on it as well as threw it in the pool.
Overall, a good workout. Lots of new moves to learn, I did do some watching to get the hang of a few of them. I am definitely feeling it more than Core.
Tomorrow...Rest day already. X2 Recovery and Mobility
First off, I had little to no soreness from the Core workout. I was expecting some. So I had fewer excuses for this 55 minute workout.
The warmup is the same as the day before. Some more with the stability ball followed by some with the foam roller. I'm still not sold on the foam roller, but we'll see tomorrow as I guarantee my calves will be screaming. Then he dives into a few more of the same stretches, inch worm(hate it), scorpion(like it), groiners(eh), and there might be one or 2 more. I know all you P90x fans will be sad, no lunge sequence. So it's 10-12 minutes till we are into the workout.
The workout consists of 5 blocks, each with 4 exercises, each lasting a minute. What happened to,"You can do anything for 30 seconds"? The first of which is not a plyometric exercise. So it breaks down to 20 exercises over the 25-30 minutes you are sweating. He dives right into it with the Killer Katherine Lunge. It's a Mary Katharine Lunge with a medicine ball that you shift from side to side. It's a tough starter in my opinion. A couple exercises later and it's slalom time, jump left to right, moving forward and back in groups of 4, just like a skier. My calves were dying by this point. I will definitely try to stretch them next time.
There are several moves you're going to have to concentrate to do. He does break into the equipment pile again, using the stability ball, foam roller, medicine ball(a 4lb will do), and a plyo box. I didn't have a plyo box handy so I just used the single step that separates our family room with the room I workout in. Not as high as Tony has, but high enough.
One thing I did like was there were a couple balance exercises where he said, every time you touch the floor, you owe 2 pushups. The first exercise, I only had 4 to do. The second, a whole lot more. But it was an interesting twist.
The cool down and end stretch, I'm not sold on. The workout ends with over 10 minutes left on the clock and after a quick cool down, we move into a new stretching philosophy. I forget what he calls it, but there is pushing and relaxing and you need a towel or a band of something like that. My towel now looks like I walked on it as well as threw it in the pool.
Overall, a good workout. Lots of new moves to learn, I did do some watching to get the hang of a few of them. I am definitely feeling it more than Core.
Tomorrow...Rest day already. X2 Recovery and Mobility
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
X2 Core
Core has always been one of my weak areas...probably my weakest area. This workout showcased that.
The first time I go through a workout, I tend to go about 70-75%. I'm still learning the moves and don't want to overdue it that much. I tried to do that today, but there were a couple exercises I really had to work at to get right.
On to the meat of the workout. It starts simply enough with an interesting warmup. Have your stability ball handy, and make sure it is fully inflated for later in the workout. Mine was a little soft for a few exercises. You then move into a short segment with the foam roller. I can't say it did much for me, but I don't have any sore spots to workout on the first day. Maybe next time.
The workout runs for 55 minutes, with a 15(!) minute warmup and around 5 minute cooldown. In the 35 minutes you're working out, there are 17 exercises and some of them will really test you. However, Tony said it best, this workout "sneaks up on you". I can't point at a specific exercise that wiped me out, and I can't say that I am wiped out, but my shirt is soaking wet.
The last exercise is one leg, med ball, burpees. I think I got a total of 5, poor ones. The burpee was less of a problem than the med ball push up.
Tomorrow, Plyocide.
Plyometrics + Suicide = Plyocide....I can hardly wait.
The first time I go through a workout, I tend to go about 70-75%. I'm still learning the moves and don't want to overdue it that much. I tried to do that today, but there were a couple exercises I really had to work at to get right.
On to the meat of the workout. It starts simply enough with an interesting warmup. Have your stability ball handy, and make sure it is fully inflated for later in the workout. Mine was a little soft for a few exercises. You then move into a short segment with the foam roller. I can't say it did much for me, but I don't have any sore spots to workout on the first day. Maybe next time.
The workout runs for 55 minutes, with a 15(!) minute warmup and around 5 minute cooldown. In the 35 minutes you're working out, there are 17 exercises and some of them will really test you. However, Tony said it best, this workout "sneaks up on you". I can't point at a specific exercise that wiped me out, and I can't say that I am wiped out, but my shirt is soaking wet.
The last exercise is one leg, med ball, burpees. I think I got a total of 5, poor ones. The burpee was less of a problem than the med ball push up.
Tomorrow, Plyocide.
Plyometrics + Suicide = Plyocide....I can hardly wait.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Setting Goals
Throughout P90x, Tony Horton talks about setting goals. In the past, my goals were pretty much get through the workout and improve my performance...more reps, higher weights, etc.
This time, in addition to those goals, I intend to eat much better. I will keep track of my weight, but I suspect it will not reduce so much as move around and transform from fat to muscle. I could easily say my plan is to lose 30lbs, and it probably is, but my real goal is to take all those tight pairs of pants, and require a belt to wear them.
I have taken before pictures, but will spare you the sight until I can show my progress\transformation.
Background
Tomorrow, myself, my brother and 2 of our friends begin dedicating 90 days of our lives to P90X2. This blog will cover my efforts, trials, and tribulations.
I thought I'd give a quick introduction about myself and my plans. I just wrapped up my 5th round of P90x, but not without taking a month+ break, at the end, to deal with some tendonitis in my elbow. As a prep for X2 and to finish this round, I did 1 week of phase 1, 1 week of phase 2, and 1 week of recovery. I am by no means in the shape I want to be in for this.
While I've completed P90x 5 times, I have never followed the diet, so I'm carrying around plenty of extra weight. As part of this, I intend to work much harder on my eating, but that's another post. For the record, I'm 6-3 and around 265, built like an ox.
I prefer to do my workouts first thing in the morning as I like to spend time with the family when I get home from work. I will do my best to post in the mornings, but no promises. I expect my first posts to be reviews of each routine as I do them.
Lastly, outside of the tendonitis, which is pretty minor now, I ruptured my achilles tendon about 5 years ago...it's almost back to normal. Otherwise, my limitations are my own physical and mental issues.
And no, I've never done a pull up, chin up yes, pull up…not even close.
I thought I'd give a quick introduction about myself and my plans. I just wrapped up my 5th round of P90x, but not without taking a month+ break, at the end, to deal with some tendonitis in my elbow. As a prep for X2 and to finish this round, I did 1 week of phase 1, 1 week of phase 2, and 1 week of recovery. I am by no means in the shape I want to be in for this.
While I've completed P90x 5 times, I have never followed the diet, so I'm carrying around plenty of extra weight. As part of this, I intend to work much harder on my eating, but that's another post. For the record, I'm 6-3 and around 265, built like an ox.
I prefer to do my workouts first thing in the morning as I like to spend time with the family when I get home from work. I will do my best to post in the mornings, but no promises. I expect my first posts to be reviews of each routine as I do them.
Lastly, outside of the tendonitis, which is pretty minor now, I ruptured my achilles tendon about 5 years ago...it's almost back to normal. Otherwise, my limitations are my own physical and mental issues.
And no, I've never done a pull up, chin up yes, pull up…not even close.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Supreme 90 Legs
I typically don't mind leg workouts. I've got some serious tree trunks holding me up, so I'm not usually afraid of squats and lunges. The meat of this workout is only 20ish minutes long, but there isn't a whole lot of time to catch your breath. Not as bad as chest and back, but there definitely isn't any rest time.
As with most leg workouts, this is a series of squat and lunge exercises. You do use the stability ball for one exercise, and dumbbells pretty much the whole way through. You run through a series of exercises, and then repeat them. Not much more to say here.
I do know that my glutes will be screaming tomorrow. I worked out early this morning, around 6, it's now 16 hours later and I'm already feeling it. My legs will be screaming tomorrow. It's a good workout, enjoy.
As with most leg workouts, this is a series of squat and lunge exercises. You do use the stability ball for one exercise, and dumbbells pretty much the whole way through. You run through a series of exercises, and then repeat them. Not much more to say here.
I do know that my glutes will be screaming tomorrow. I worked out early this morning, around 6, it's now 16 hours later and I'm already feeling it. My legs will be screaming tomorrow. It's a good workout, enjoy.
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