P90X-2 (Day 6): X2 Balance & Power

So we finally made it to the end of week 1!  Well, tomorrow is technically the last day of the workout week, but it's a rest day.  This is big folks.  We might actually make it through!  Katie and I have started to feel pretty wiped the past few days from the combination of extreme workouts and decreasing our calorie count a bit.  It takes a lot of discipline the first week or so to remain committed :)

Overview
Today's routine was Balance & Power, which basically means a lot of plank moves and the use of the stability ball.  That's an oversimplification perhaps, but not by much!   It's sort of like X2 Core's cousin in a way.  In any case, as this is the last workout of each week for the entire Phase 1 of P90X-2, it does seem that Tony Horton's emphasis on strengthening the core remains integral to the focus, and again, I approve of the philosophy.  (Every day of the program so far we've woken up with muscles sore all over, but for some reason it's not in as demoralizing a way as it was in P90X when you might spend a solid 60 minutes basically doing lunges and squats or pushups and pull-ups ad infinitum).

Also, the exercises in Balance & Power are very technical in nature, and it would be pretty easy (as it would actually be with any P90X-esque workout) to injure yourself if you 1) overextend yourself too early on in the program, and 2) don't take enough care to study the form of a particular move before diving in.  There have actually been a few stability ball moves that Katie and I probably weren't ready for yet, and we went ahead and tried to plow through it only to wipe out right on top of the ball nearly smashing our faces into the floor.  In other words, be careful!

Plus, due to just how unique this workout was, it probably would have served us better to preview it beforehand so that we were already familiar with the moves.  Since we did not preview the video, we ended up during the workout having to watch a little of most of the different moves and then rewinding to the beginning of that particular section (once we were comfortable) to join in.  This made Balance and Power both easier (i.e. likely less effective) and longer than it needed to be.  Next time though, we should be ready to go all out!

Highlights (moves, etc.)

• 62 minutes long
• Structure
• 3 main rounds (separated by water breaks) of 6 moves each and followed by a 3-move "bonus round"
• Craziest Moves
• Crawly Crab Press
• This move is tough...and a bit awkward!  Basically you start by laying down your back on the stability ball, with your shoulders as the main source of support (basically in a bench press position), and a pair of dumbbells in hand.  From there, you shift your shoulders across the stability ball to where your now balancing just your elbow on the ball with your other arm thrusting its weight into the sky.  Then, you come back down on to your shoulders, shifting your shoulders across the ball in the other direction till you then are balancing your other elbow on the ball with the other arm/weight thrust into the sky.  Very difficult, and my form was all over the place as it was all I could do just to stay on the dang ball!
• Renegade Row 1/2 Lolasana
• This move has a hard version and a VERY hard version.  I tried a bit of both of them, but it might take a while before I can effectively do the latter, which is the one that I will explain.  Basically, you start in a pushup position using pushup stands or dumbbells.  Do a one-armed row with your right arm, then your left, before jumping your extended legs up and in towards your chest/hands...all while keeping your legs and feet suspended off the ground, using only your arms (still holding onto the pushup stands) for support.  Then shoot your legs back into plank position and repeat.  WHA!??!?

Summary

Well, we finished Week 1, and I still am really liking it!  Better than P90X (in terms of enjoyment at least), WAY better than Insanity (again, in terms of enjoyment), and we'll just have to wait and see if the results agree :)

Diet Notes

I haven't really spent any time talking about our diet as yet.  If you recall, I was for health reasons doing a pretty crazy paleo-esque diet while doing the Insanity program. Those two things coupled together got me awfully lean.  A bit too lean I'd say.  Anyway, this time we're following the P90X-2 diet book/guidelines fairly closely, at least for direction.  And we've even used a few of their recipes, which so far have been surprisingly good!  Katie of course has her ways of making any recipe better, but we've both been pleased.  

Similar to P90X, the guideline basically is to keep it pretty low-carb, high protein for the first month (not to an Atkins degree or anything), eating as many natural, whole foods as possible.  Tonight for dinner Katie made some deliciously healthy lettuce wraps that would put any restaurant to shame.  So lucky am I ;)

P90X2 (Day 5): X2 Yoga

So, we're moving right along with our P90X-2 workouts at this point!  Almost done with the first week, which is really a pretty critical milestone (along with the first month) when it comes to whether or not a person will actually stick with a program.  We're still enjoying the ride so far, so no slowing down now :)

Anyway, this morning we did X2 Yoga, the new and improved (and shorter) version of the original P90X's Yoga X routine.  And just like the first time I did Yoga, this was hard!  Katie even agreed, and she used to be quite the yoga buff. 

Overview

• Length
• Around 67 minutes long, which is close to a half hour shorter than the original Yoga X.  The length was one of people's main complaints about the original, so I'm happy to see things have been condensed.  
• Structure
• Some basic yoga warmup moves are followed by a 40 minute Power Yoga section (similar to Yoga X).  This part is tough!  Then the remaining 20 minutes are comprised of some modest ab/core work and some stretching.  
• Comments on the actual workout
• In some ways it's very similar to Yoga X, but it seems like the chief difference is that Tony essentially cut out the balance moves section.  This is fine in my opinion because the power yoga stuff already incorporates a great deal of focus on balance.  Also, Tony seems to have a lot more knowledge about what's he's actually talking about this time in regards to Yoga.  And one of the background exercisers (who's a yoga stud) apparently helped him put the workout together.  Perhaps most importantly though, the power yoga section has a pretty quick flow to it, which is much more similar to other non P90X yoga routines I've done.  Very challenging but definitely effective!

Summary

This was no picnic.  There were more than a few moves where both Katie and I had to come out of a pose because a leg was about to give out, etc.  That said, I appreciate the shorter time frame in comparison to Yoga X, the better flow and instruction throughout, and (as with most any yoga routine) that feeling you get at the end where your body is so relaxed that all seems right in the world :)

Tough, but a great workout!

P90X2 (Day 4): X2 Total Body + X2 Ab Ripper

So I've been saying the past few days how much I've appreciated the fact that P90X has been more approachable and how Tony hasn't gone out of his way to kill you right out of the box.  As a matter of fact, it talks in the P90X2 'literature' about how the first month is the Foundation Phase and essentially serves as the period for building up your core, synergistic base muscles as a jumping-off platform for the more extreme workouts in months 2 and 3.  Well, with Day 4's X2 Total Body and X2 Ab Ripper combo, I'd say that all that's changed.  I'm tired.  VERY tired.  I've only been finished with today's workout for maybe 30 minutes and my arms are already aching with soreness.  Plus every other part of me.  I have to say, tomorrow morning could be ugly when all this aching comes to a head!

That said, even though today's workouts brought their "A game" in terms of toughness, which at my current fitness level isn't necessarily a plus in terms of my enjoyment, I still have to reiterate my preference so far for P90X2.  The exercises continue to be more synergistic in nature, with lots of compound movements.  In a single move you may be combining the use of dumbbells, a stability ball, and a medicine ball all at the same time.  So if nothing else, P90X2 does a great job of keeping things from being static or boring!  (It may be worth noting that I still wouldn't classify this as being anywhere near the near-death-experience I felt like I had doing "Chest & Back" for the first time during the original P90X.  :) )

I'd even have to say that I enjoyed X2 Ab Ripper, which is somewhat of a surprise to me.  Unlike most P90X advocates, I hated the original Ab Ripper as it put a lot of pressure on my back and tail bone.  Plus it really was just a modified crunch marathon, with you busting out crunch after crunch for 15 minutes.  X2 Ab Ripper on the other hand focuses much more on isometric holds, which I tend to prefer as its more obvious to me that I'm actually working my abs.  Also, a lot of the moves engage most of the body rather than simply the abs, so in a way its somewhat of a mini total body workout.  It actually reminded Katie a lot of pilates programs she's done.

Anyway, on to some specifics...

NOTABLE THINGS ABOUT X2 TOTAL BODY

• Sort of a cross between P90X+'s Total Body and maybe some Core Synergistics (very core, strength, and resistance based)
• Background exercisers
• Drea Webber is back!  Everyone's favorite "world famous" dancer/gymnast extraordinaire is back in P90X2, and I have to say she actually looks quite a bit more fit.  Like in P90X, she and Tony have some sort of odd, amusing, bizarre flirty thing going on, although at this point it's kind of old hat. 
• One background exerciser in this one apparently used to weigh 370lbs.  He started doing a heavily modified P90X a few years ago, kept at it, and now is apparently just a fitness stud.  He seriously put me (and actually Tony a few time) to shame on almost every move.  
• General note: I'd say that on average, the P90X2 background exercisers seem to be a lot more fit (especially the females) than those who were in the original P90X.  At first I thought it might be because they had decided to hire fitness models or something, but apparently almost every one of them is either a returning person from P90X or, more likely, is someone who did the P90X dvds and had a great success story.  Seriously, there are a lot of crazy successes in the P90X2 program besides the guy who used to be 370lbs!
• Craziest Moves
• "Boing Pushups"
• Starting in plank position with your hands placed on a stability ball, push your arms off from the ground, launching your upper body up (still holding the ball).  Then come back down, do a pushup on the ball, and repeat.  
• Mule Kick Burpees
• Rough!  In a crouched position with your hands on the floor, launch your legs up into the air behind you (letting them catch some hang time) before landing them so that you're in a plank position.  From there do a push up, then crunch your knee to your elbow, pushup, crunch your other knee to your other elbow, pushup, then repeat the whole thing.  It's sort of like Tony Horton and Shaun T. decided to add Tony's Prison Cell Pushups with some Shaun T. Insanity moves.  
• One Arm Stability Ball Tricep Kickbacks
• Ok, this is probably the first move I pretty much haven't been able to do.  You're supposed to be basically in a version of a plank position where one of your forearms is positioned on a stability ball below you for support.  From there, you use your other arm to do tricep kickbacks with a dumbbell.  This would have been hard enough without the stability ball, but with the ball in play I could barely even get myself into position without collapsing onto my arm.  It requires tons of core engagement, strength, and balance.  I ended up just placing my forearm on the floor.  Not quite there yet I guess!

Summary

Great workout.  Killer workout.  Still prefer it to P90X (and I loved P90X!).  It was fun to see Drea in the background, and I did appreciate the slight change in pace from having a more hardcore resistance workout thrown in.  And the X2 Ab Ripper, with it's focus on isometric movements, seemed both more effective and definitely more my speed than the original.  When you added up the amount of time it took to do X2 Total Body and X2 Ab Ripper back to back, Katie and I worked out a solid 1hr and 1/2.  After finishing, Katie looked at me and said, "if this doesn't get me in any better shape than just doing Jillian Michaels dvds, I'm gonna be ticked."

P90X2 (Day 3): Recovery & Mobility

So today was essentially our first rest day!  It's interesting though.  So far neither of the first 2 workouts truly obliterated us in the way that I felt after doing P90x or Insanity for the first time.  Still though, the morning-after muscle soreness has been brutal.  The moves in these workouts seem to sneak up on you in terms of their effectiveness!

Overview
Anyway, Recovery & Mobility was good, if unusual addition to the P90X library.  Basically it's P90X2's version of the Stretch X routine (which I only ever did a few times) with 2 main differences: 1) the foam roller gets used throughout, which is a pretty substantial distinction (we still don't have our rollers, so we had to perform our stretches using bands and towels); 2) you are pretty much left to you own devices for 1/3 of the video, meaning you simply stretch the muscles that YOU feel need stretching.  I guess this latter aspect is both a plus and a negative in a way. The positive is that you can spend as much time as you want on the muscles that need the most attention!  The bad part though is that you may be a little less motivated without a prescribed routine to follow, AND you may accidentally hurt yourself by trying out bizarre new stretches.  On the whole though I think I liked the approach.

At 57 minutes, the basic structure of Recovery and Mobility can broken into 3 chunks.  The first third is comprised of some traditional stretches, yoga, and some light squats, etc.  The middle portion is a solid 20 minutes of foam rolling goodness.  The final third is basically the "cool-down" which is somewhat a mix of the first third and a few new, deeper stretches.

Having just finished the workout, I definitely feel that my body has loosened up quite a bit!  I feel mostly refreshed and ready for tomorrow's Total Body and X2 Ab-Ripper!  They promise to be pretty killer, so the Recovery & Mobility focus today will probably end up being even more appreciated :)

P90X2 (Day 2): Plyocide

So we're on to Day 2 and "plyo-land" or "Death by Jumping" as Tony would say!  After yesterday's X2 Core workout, I have to say that I was actually pretty excited about what today's Plyocide would bring.  Although Plyo X in the original P90X was an absolutely killer workout (perhaps the hardest in the program), it was never really my favorite.  As a matter of fact, although I did my first round of P90X with no modifications, I found myself swapping Plyo X in subsequent rounds with the likes of Core Synergistics or Pure Cardio.  There was simply too much lung-bursting, joint-pounding jumping in the original plyo routine.

This time around, Plyocide's plyo program--while still focusing very much on explosive movements--is a bit better rounded.  The moves are more synergistic in nature, bringing your core more into play.  Also, as with yesterday's X2 Core, there is much stronger focus on the warmup and cool-down than in P90X.  You really get the feeling that Tony was much more deliberate in how P90X2 was put together, with a likely goal of maximizing both the effort expended as well as the recovery time.  So, while I'm hesitant to say that this workout is quite as killer Plyo X was, I have little worry as to the results that it will bring and am confident in my preference for it over the original.

Overview

• Equipment
• med ball (still don't have one, but I simply used a 10lb dumbbell instead...worked just as well)
• stability ball (primarily used in the warmup)
• plyo box (definitely didn't have this!  had to use a step ladder we keep in our closet..be careful if you try something like that)
• towel
• foam roller (just for the warmup)
• Time
• 55 minutes overall
• 14 min warmup (probably could have used a bit more time with the foam roller portion after yesterday...Katie and I paused for a bit of extra stretching)
• 12 min cooldown

Notable Moves

• Killer Katherine Lunge
• This is rough.  It requires a medicine ball, but I simply used a 10lb dumbbell instead (not a perfect substitute, but certainly good enough).  Basically, you do plyo jump lunges where you go down into a lunge and then explode up switching legs and then repeat.  The catch is that rather than normal plyo lunges you're doing these with a 10lb weight in your hands, bringing it up over your head each time you jump.  It's hard to describe, but it will leave your legs and arms feeling like jelly.
• Frog Burpee Hop
• Ok, this is straight from an Insanity workout.  Basically do a wide-legged burpee and then jump up with a wide-legged knee tuck, bringing your elbows to your knees. 
• Wide Leg Jump Press with Med Ball
• Ouch!  It could just be because this is towards the end of the workout, but this almost killed me.  With a 10lb weight in hand, start in a squat position.  From there explode up off the ground into an x-jump with your feet/legs spread wide and your hands (holding the weight) extended above your head.  If you focus on making sure you jump with your legs wide, it will burn.  Believe me!

Summary

At the end of the day, was this as hard as I remember the workouts being in P90X?  I'd have to say no. But again, like with X2 Core, I really am enjoying the workouts much more, and I appreciate the added focus on core strength and stability, recovery, etc.   I'll be able to tell in a few weeks whether or not this new strategy of Tony's will still bring the results!

Alright, that's it for now.  Until tomorrow's Recovery & Mobility routine!!

P90X2 (Day 1): X2 Core

Day 1 of P90X2 is officially complete!  Katie and I just finished doing X2 Core, which is, well, probably the most interesting dvd workout I've ever done.  And it's probably one of the more fun workouts in the P90x series, if I can say such a thing.

The focus throughout the P90X2 program is all about functional strength, and so the fact that the very first workout is centered around your core and balance makes a lot of sense.  Similar and yet at the same time quite different from the original P90X's "Core Synergistics," X2 Core brings a lot of new elements to the foray:  a balance ball, medicine balls, a foam roller.  Although the latter two of these items have yet to be purchased, Katie and I do both have balance balls, and I found their inclusion a welcome addition.

Interestingly, although I know my body was worked extremely hard throughout the workout (I definitely failed from fatigue on a few moves) I actually feel somewhat refreshed now that it's over as though I had a really thorough massage.  This workout will definitely be a favorite of mine going forward!

Equipment

• Balance ball (highly recommended!)
• 1 medicine ball (I don't have mine yet, but I felt like some of the uses of it in this particular workout felt forced...particularly it's use in one pushup move where you might as well just be doing a plyo/clap pushup from P90X)
• Foam roller (again, don't have mine yet, but you can just do your own regular stretches)

Some Notable Moves

• One Legged Burpee w/ Balance Ball
• This is tough and just plain odd!  You start by standing up and holding a balance ball in your hands.  Then simply execute a normal burpee, but you go down into plank position with your hands on the balance ball rather than on the floor.  Oh yeah, and you do it on one leg the entire time.  (disclosure, the "one leg" thing is going to have to wait a while for me until I can build up more core a bit more)
• Stability Ball Core Circles
• Get in plank position with your forearms situated on your stability ball.  Then, kinda just move your forearms around in clockwise, then counterclockwise, keeping your core VERY engaged throughout.  NOT easy.
• Banana Ball Switch Crunch
• Lay on the ground on your back, core engaged, with your legs extended up and off the ground just slightly in front of you with your arms extended straight behind you, also a bit off the ground.  That's a regular banana move.  For THIS version of it, add a stability ball by first holding it in your hands and extending it beyond your head.  Then bring your chest and knees towards each other like a crunch, and pass off the stability ball from your hands to your feet.  Extend back out, and come back in for a crunch, passing the ball back to your hands. Rough!

Summary

You can probably tell that the stability ball moves most stuck out to me and will probably be one of the biggest areas where I can improve.  Overall, as I mentioned, this is probably going to be a favorite workout of mine.  It doesn't obliterate you, like Insanity (or even most P90X workouts, including the original Core Synergistics), but you definitely finish the workout thinking you're probably going to be hurting the next day in muscles you never knew you had.  A fun, unique addition to the series!

Tomorrow is PLYOCIDE.  Yikes!

P90X-2 (DAY 0): Fit Test

So, the Mrs. and I have decided to finally begin our journey into the latest fitness concoction from Tony Horton: P90X-2.  As you may recall, I'm a huge Tony and P90x supporter as P90x helped get me into the very best shape of my life a mere 3 years ago.  Unfortunately however, although my diet tends to stay fairly healthy, my fitness level moves around quite a bit (and I unfortunately don't do a good job of decreasing my portion sizes to accomodate for the fitness slowdown).  As you may or may not know, it takes very little time to get out of shape, and right now I think we can officially say that I have squandered any remaining benefits from my dabbling with Shaun T's Insanity program in the fall.

As a refresher, Katie and I both did Insanity about 5 months or so ago, and although it probably got both of us down to the slimmest we've either been, I don't think the program's results were near as attractive to me as those I got from P90X.  For one thing, it really was never my goal to slim down.  Plus, Insanity simply brutalized our bodies with constant jumping at sprint-level intensity that can very easily leave you injured.  I will probably go back to some of those workouts in the future, but the program's non-stop physical onslaught is probably a mistake in the long term.  After finishing Insanity, Katie and I had tried to stay in shape with Jillian Michaels dvds like 30-Day Shred, which I have to say, are darn good workouts.  I don't particularly like Jillian, but if you're looking to get in pretty solid shape without doing a full-blown program like P90X, give them a shot.  

Anyway, on to P90X-2!

Overview

To keep things VERY brief, P90X-2, like P90X, is a 90-day extreme fitness program.  Each workout is about 1 hr, but unlike the original P90X, the new program only requires you to exercise 5 days a week due to the even more extreme nature of it.  Furthermore, P90X-2 also lacks any dedicated cardio workouts so it will be interesting to see how that works.  

As Katie and I will be doing some traveling, etc., beginning in late May, we unfortunately won't have enough time to complete the full 90 days.  Instead, we plan to get just around halfway, which means our before & after results pics that we plan to post will need to be viewed through that lens :)  I'll probably go back and do the full thing completely in the fall. 

P90X-2 Fit Test

Since Katie likely wouldn't appreciate me divulging the results of her fit test without her permission, I'll just stick with mine.

Similarly to other BeachBody workout programs, P90X-2 requires/recommends that you complete a fitness test to ensure you can withstand the extreme nature of the workouts.  This also helps to serve as something of a benchmark and gut check for improvement going forward.  However, it also serves as a big 'ol slap in the face about how out of shape I've managed to get in a few short months.  Below are the different steps in the fit test, and my "performance."

1. Take Weight & Measurements
• Weight: 155.2 lbs (I was a paltry 146 lbs, the lowest I've ever been--not a good thing--, after Insanity)
• Chest: 36"
• Arms: 12"
• Waist: 32.5"
• Hips: 39"
• Thighs: 20.5"
• Total Inches: 172.5"
2. Resting Heart Rate
• 72 bpm
3. Wide-grip Pull-ups to failure 
• 15
4. Vertical Leap (was hard to gauge)
• 17"
5. Pushups to failure (must touch chest to towel on floor to ensure full movement)
• 51
6. Toe Touch
• -.5" (i.e. 0.5" short of touching toes)
7. Wall Squat till failure
• 2:02 minutes
8. Bicep Curls till failure (not happy about this one)
• 14 @ 30lbs
9. In & Outs till failure (essentially a crunch move where you sit on your butt, hands at your side, and bring your knees in and out from your chest)
• 41
10. Active Heart Rate after "sprinting"
• 144 bpm
• 1 minutes after stopping: 136bpm
• 2 minutes after stopping: 120bpm
• 3 minutes after stopping: 116bpm
• 4 minutes after stopping: 100bpm

Summary

Not much to sum up at this point, but I assure you I am both excited and terrified to get this show on the road.  Having previewed already some of the workouts we'll be doing, a lot of this program is going to be crazy tough.  That said, it'll be much more my speed than Insanity!

Tomorrow begins the madness: X2 Core!