CHALEAN EXTREME DAYS 12-15

(Originally posted May 4, 2009)

To those who've been following my updates, I apologize for not posting anything the past few days. It's been extremely busy!! I had Deltacappella gigs on Thursday and Friday, a church retreat up at Pickwick on Saturday, and then a day trip with Katie to Arkansas on Sunday. I'm definitely exhausted, and I have to say that I wasn't able to fit in every workout that I was scheduled to I'm afraid.

Thursday night was supposed to be Burn Circuit 3, but I wasn't able squeeze it in before the DC concert that night. Then on Friday, I was SUPPOSED to do one of ChaLean's cardio routines, but instead did Burn Circuit 3 to make up for missing it the night before. Saturday didn't see me workout either, but I didn't feel quite as bad about it since Saturday is technically supposed to be my "off" day anyway. And then last night I went ahead and started Week 3 by doing Burn Circuit 1 again.

Other than that, things have been going pretty well. And I can definitely see some Chalean results in certain areas...particularly muscle size. But I sadly have started slacking a wee bit in the dietary dept as well as the ab-work dept. I'm eating bigger portions than I have been and I've gotten bad about remembering to tag on the additional ab workouts after the Burn Circuits....and I have started to be able to tell! I'll have to work on a bit more self-discipline I suppose moving forward. Anyway, tonight is technically an "off" night, but I might squeeze in one of Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer cardio routines just so that I feel better for missing my workout last Thursday. We'll see.

*Lastly, next week begins Week 4 of ChaLean, which is technically just like the first 3 weeks. However, I think I might switch things up a bit by substituting in a P90x-style recovery week, which would let me do some extra core work and even some yoga which it feels like I haven't done in forever.

P90X Day 15: Chest & Back

(Originally posted Jan 22, 2009)

I'm picking back up my P90x updates, at least for this week. This note is actually for yesterday since I didn't have time to write one before I went to bed.

Anyway, let me give a brief recap first of the previous week. Workouts were good (didn't miss one remarkably! and what's more, I didn't throw up during any of them), as was my diet....but I have been extremely low energy lately. The exercises are becoming more of a chore! I had expected for P90x to actually leave me feeling more energetic by the time I got into the full swing of things, but truthfully I feel pretty wiped for most of the day now. Perhaps this is more related to the high-protein, low-carb diet than anything else...but I feel I'm in some need of a boost. I've been somewhat toying with the idea of getting some NO (nitric oxide) supplements to take before working out since they're supposed to help you stay energized and focused during exercise...but I really am not a fan of putting unnatural stuff down the 'ol gullet. P90x actually makes a fairly natural performance booster...I think green tea extract makes up part of the ingredients they use. Maybe I'll give theirs a try instead.

Ok, back to the workout. So yesterday marked the beginning of week 3. I've pretty much given up on doing my exercise sessions in the morning, so instead I've just had to figure out how to make them fit into my nights. Last night I went out to dinner at Salsa, and then went and hung out with some compadres...didn't get home till after 9:45, so it was already guaranteed to be a late night! I've essentially had to decide that I'm going to do my workout every day now matter what....otherwise, what's the point? 

Well, I have to say that due to my lack of energy, last night's workout was sort of a mixed-bag in terms of improvement over my first week. My strength has definitely improved though. Whereas I was only doing a few pullups before unassisted, last night I was able to do (spread out over the whole workout) around 15 of them...not including additional ones where I used a chair to squeeze out extra reps. I was also able to get in a few extra reps of pushups, back flys, etc. Definitely have improved it seems...at least for the first half of the workout. But, the last 15-30 minutes of the workout deteriorated much more quickly. I don't know if I was simply pushing myself too hard at the beginning or if it was due to the energy deficiency. But by the time I got to the second round of diamond pushups, this time I couldn't complete a single one. My arms and chest were completely shot! I guess that's a good thing that I went to failure, but I was able to make it through the entire workout on my very first day. Don't know how to interpret that.

Also, I figured that this week I might give a more in-depth review of the workouts, so here's an exercise-by-exercise breakdown of what's involved (from memory..may leave something out). Generally, you're supposed to do as many reps on these as you can while maintaining good form:
1) Standard Pushups: Haven't seen much improvement here. Try to crank out around 30 reps using those Perfect Pushup stands..which I think are overrated, but they definitely make them harder
2) Wide-Grip Pullups: Like standard pushups, these don't really require much of an explanation...but these suckers are a very tough way to start off a workout. Definitely the hardest version of pullups for me! Have definitely seen a lot of improvement here though. Did 6 unassisted for first round (I often try to do at least 10 pullups total, but the latter ones employ the use of a chair!)
3) Military Pushups: These are essentially like standard pushups, except your hands are a little closer together, and you're supposed to keep your elbows pinched in when you go down. These were much harder last night than they've been in the past, but I think I was trying to focus a lot more on my form this time. Did 20ish reps first round using pushup bars
4) Reverse-Grip Chinups: By far the easiest version of pullups. Uses a good bit of your bicep muscles. 7-8 reps unassisted. 
5) Wide-fly Pushups: Not too bad really...just a wider version of standard pushups. Not as much range of motion, so easier to pump these out. Did 25ish I think in first round using pushup bars.
6) Closed-Grip Overhand Pullups: These are actually pretty difficult for me. I can get very close to getting my chin to the top of the bar without too much trouble...but it's extremely hard to do the last couple of inches to get completely up. It's almost as if my arm muscles aren't elongated enough to do them well. Anyway, but this point I'm usually pretty tired. Did 2 unassisted first round
7) Decline Pushups: Like standard pushups, except your feet are propped up on a chair behind you. Pretty tough. Did around 15-20 first round
8) Heavy Pants: Basically a fancy term for bent-over dumbell rows. 
9) Diamond Pushups: These are killer. But I can squeeze out around 8 or more on the first round wtihout too much fuss
10) Lawnmowers: Basically one-arm dumbell rows. 
11) Dive-bomber pushups: These are hard!!! You have wide-stance hands and feet...and you try to mime scooping yourself underneath an invisible fence, and then scoop yourself back under it the other way...and that's one rep. But the time I get to 7 I'm usually sacrificing form pretty badly!
12) Back Flys: This has never been a very easy exercise for me, because I can never really tell if I'm using proper form. It's pretty easy to use your shoulders and triceps here if you're not careful instead of your back muscles, so this one's tough to get right for me unless someone else is there to point out my mistakes. I feel it's best to go with a more manageable dumbell weight here so that I make sure I get the form right.

Ok, you're halfway through! Now take a 45 second break, and do all these exercises again!! Excited!?? Ugh...the second time through I usually have to use assistance on ALL my pullups, some of my pushup reps decrease dramatically, and by the time I get to diamond pushups I'm almost totally spent.

But there you go folks. The majesty of P90x Chest and Back.

Tonight, it's time for Plyometrics X again. Awesome

P.S.-normally I wait at least an hour between my main workout and my ab workout, but last it was so late that I just went right ahead after Chest & Back and followed up with abs. That I have discovered is NOT easy! Affects your form and everything!

P90X-2 (Chest + Back + Balance AND X2 Ab Ripper): Day 15 complete!

Ooooo, now THAT's P90X!  Yesterday Katie and I migrated (a little quicker than recommended in the program schedule) to Phase 2 of P90X-2, which is where the focus turns from foundational core work to strength.

This is the first time since P90X-2 started that my body was simply too destroyed afterward to write a review, so that's why this post took a big longer to get up!  In any case, yesterday's workout was Chest + Back + Balance, and it was a doozy!!

Basically take the original program's Chest & Back workout (which I actually vomited during the first time I ever did it) and add in hardcore balance elements throughout.  Plus, Chest & Back at least gave a you break when it came to pullups, substituting in moves like lawnmowers and heavy pants.  With Chest + Back + Balance, that is no longer the case!  The workout is 20 moves, alternating between pushups and pullups EVERY time.  Raise that white flag of surrender if you want, but there is nowhere to hide!

The addition of balance
So, what does it mean to add balance to a pushup?  Try doing pushups with each foot and hand balanced precariously on medicine balls.  What does it mean to add balance to a pullup?  Try doing pullups with your legs sticking straight out, perpendicular from your upper body, in an L shape.  These are no picnic.

The potential problem is that some of these moves are SO hard that you won't be able to do many if any.  By the 7th set of pullups, my upper body had given out almost completely to where I had to use a chair for the remaining pullup movements.  And for some of the crazier pushup moves, I made sure to try some of these a few times the day before so that I wasn't just wasting my time trying to get my body into position the day of the actual workout.  The "Impossible/Possible" pushup is a perfect example of this.

Basically, the "Impossible/Possible" pushup requires you to put your feet positioned behind you on a stability ball and your hands down in front of you, balanced on a single medicine ball.  THIS IS HARD!! I made several attempts at this the day earlier before I could even do a single rep.  And for the actual workout, I only ended up being able to 5.

The good thing is that I am definitely, definitely sore after yesterday's Chest + Back + Balance.  However, my rep counts are so low on some of these moves that I can't even imagine what my body will feel like after I get a bit better at maintaining my form.  And it's for this reason that Phase 1 of P90X-2 is so critical.  You need those foundational workouts to strengthen your core enough to actually be able to do this stuff!

Overview

• 59 minutes long
• 13 min warmup (with foam rolling sequence) and 7 min cooldown
• 2 rounds of 10 moves each, water break in between the rounds.  NO repeat moves!
• CRAZIEST MOVES
• Lever Pullups
• There is no real way to describe these.  You start off in a normal pullup position at the top of what that movement looks like so that you're shoulders are up near the bar and your hands are near your shoulders.  From there, keeping your entire body as tight/flat as a board as possible, you kind of pivot your legs up and your torso down so that your body is parallel to the ground with your back facing downward.  In order to do this, your shoulders will drop away from the pullup bar, but your elbows remain tight at your side.  
• Impossible/Possible pushups
• Already described these above, but these are insane.  Balance your feet out behind you on a stability ball, and balance your hands in front on a medicine ball.  You could spend the entire workout just trying to get body situated.
• Chattarocker pushups
• Also a tough one to describe.  From plank position, drop down in to chattaranga with your chest still slightly above the ground, your hands just to the sides of your chest, and your elbows pinched in at your side.  From there, quickly walk your feet backwards, bringing your elbows down to the meet the ground as your do.  Sort of a Sphinx plank move.  Then, walk your feet back in, popping off your elbows back into chattaranga before finishing the move by raising back up into plank.
• Towel Pullups
• Couldn't do a single one of these without a chair.  Basically throw two hand towels over the top of your pullup bar, clasping each hand around a towel instead of onto the bar.  Then, start cranking out pullups. There's more freedom of movement here than in a typical pullup, but it feels awfully weird for some reason!

Summary

Things have gotten hard.  But I still like the program!  Core continues to be a focus, but we really obliterated our upper body today.  I'm a little spooked at this point for what else lies ahead.

Also, just to note, the diet is still going pretty well, but I may need to up my calorie count.  The metabolism has definitely been spiked, because I now am hungry a lot!  

The next NEW workout will be on Day 17 with X2 Shoulders & Arms AND X2 Ab Ripper.  Oi!