It, along with V-Sculpt (which I'll be doing probably tomorrow), is one of the "bonus workouts" that comes with the Deluxe version of P90X-2. I consider it's somewhat unfortunate that it doesn't come with the base-level version because it's just a great workout! Everyone should be able to experience it :) It is a great way to add in additional muscle confusion during your time in Phase 2 since the workout can be swapped in for X2 Chest + Back + Balance.
In any case, X2 Chest Shoulders & Triceps can best be summarized as an incredibly fast-paced, and killer upper body annihilation. Seriously. My chest especially was fried after all the crazy pushup variations involved.
Overview
- Length - 47 minutes...this may very well be the shortest workout in the entire P90X portfolio outside of the Ab Ripper dvds. VERY fast paced.
- Background Exercisers
- Bobby Stevenson - Love this guy. So genial, although the workout moves so quickly in this one that he doesn't get quite as much to say as normal. He shows off the "hotel-style" version of the moves using the bands. Btw, apparently his casting company cast 10 of last year's Super Bowl commercials.
- Alfonso - Seriously strong dude who's also on the X2 Ab Ripper video. Don't remember him being too talkative, but he's definitely in shape.
- Christina - A very, well, smiley mother of 5. Don't remember her saying much either, but she's constantly showing off her pearly whites.
- Structure
- 2 rounds of 11 moves. Apparently this workout was based off of Tony Horton's UpperBodyX One on On video, but a few of the crazier moves didn't make it into the final product
- Notable Moves
- Strip Press
- Pretty standard but HARD if you go too heavy. Basically this is just 3 sets of 8 shoulder presses--during which you have one foot positioned on a chair in front of you--with very short breaks in between each set. The "strip" part just means you can decrease your weight a bit (by increments of 5lbs, 10lbs, etc.).
- 3-Ball Extravaganza
- Wow. This sucker's tough. Get in a plank position with each of your hands balanced on medicine balls and your feet both balanced on the same medicine ball. From there, do a pushup and then bring your right knee to your right elbow while keeping your left leg as your only means of support on the medicine ball behind you. Repeat on the other side.
- Callahan Press
- I can't remember if this move was in the original P90X, but I don't think so. Basically, you do a regular shoulder press (again, one foot on a chair in front of you). However, when your bring your weights back down to where your upper arms are perpendicular to the ground, you then bring your weights around to meet each other in front of your face before moving them back to the starting position to complete the rep. Repeat.
- 3-Ball Dip
- Not sure what to think about these compared to traditional chair dips, but they're certainly not easy. Basically, envision chair dips from the original P90X, but the chair with your feet on it has been replaced by a single med ball and the chair with your hands on it has been replaced by 2 med balls...one for each hand. Then dip away.
- How'd I do?
- Chattarocker Pushups - 14 out of the gate, but that left me a bit too toasted for the strip press to follow. Dropped down to 10 the second round
- Strip Press - The first round definitely went too heavy. Eeeked out my first set using 40s, but the second set using 35s got the better of me as I could only do 5 reps. Finished it off with 25s. The second round I started off only with 30lbs which ended up being the right move.
- Tricep Extension on Stability Ball - these are also featured in X2 Shoulder & Arms. I can normally do 25lbers on this move fairly easily, but my arms were so fried from the presses that I couldn't quite hit my goal reps during either round.
- 3-Ball Extravaganza - So tough. Only got 7-8 clean ones during each round.
- Callahan Press - Rocked 20lbs both times. The normal shoulder press isn't bad, but once you try to bring those weights in front of your face that weight can get pretty heavy pretty quickly!
- Iron Man Kickback - Even though I loved this workout overall, I have to say that this particular move looks better on paper than in execution. For me, the weights hit into the stability ball when I try to bring them in towards my armpit. Makes for a very awkward move, and I think going forward I'll probably just settle for regular tricep kickbacks while in a lunch.
- Pushup Side Arm Balance - 12 the first round, and 8 the second. Feeling fried at this point both times!
- X2 Circle Fly - These actually weren't that bad using 5lbs. They tell you to go extremely light in the dvd, but I think I might be able to eek out a few more lbs next time.
- 3-Ball Dip - For normal chair dips I can typically do around 30+. For these, only managed 20-23 for the two rounds. The problem is that once you get up to around 20 your arms are not only toast but also you're trying to precariously balance atop all the med balls!
Summary
Loved this workout! P90X-2 is still my favorite program to date!
Also, on the diet front, things are looking good. Now that I recently calculated out what my calorie intake should be and how many I've actually been eating lately, I've been able to appropriately up my calories and I can tell a substantial difference even in just the past week. My muscles seem to be repairing more quickly and so far I've already gained around 3lbs, from which I can tell seems to all be muscle. Let's hope it stays that way!
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