P90X2: Phase 1 recap

As of yesterday, Katie and I are officially finished with Phase 1 of P90X2!  I don't think I've mentioned this really as yet, but P90X2 is broken into 3 distinct Phases: 

1. Phase 1: Foundation (3-6 weeks)
• All about the core!  The phases that follow will depend on you having built up a strong enough core that you can actually do the exercises without injuring yourself.
2. Phase 2: Strength (3-6 weeks)
• Essentially is like the original P90X (hardcore resistance workouts) but with balance and core incorporated into everything
3. Phase 3: Performance (3-4 weeks)
• Incorporating some of latest data from exercise science (evidently), this phase focuses on performance and athleticism.  Post-Activation Potentiation is the name of the game.

Up to this point, we've really enjoyed the P90X2 program...a good bit more than the original P90X in fact.  The moves are more varied, the core is engaged throughout, the program is more flexible, and Tony seems to have improved his coaching style a bit (Katie actually seems to like him, which was not exactly the case for the original P90X).  Plus the foam rolling sequences, which are an entirely new thing to the P90X series, are fantastic.  It's like a free deep-tissue massage every time you do it!

Oh, and just as an overall update on our experience with Phase 1, the workouts become much harder and more effective once you've actually done everything once and have a good sense of what the moves are.  To that end, I would highly recommend actually sitting down and "skimming" each workout before you actually do it so you're not wasting time trying to figure out what's going on.

As it stands, we are going ahead and starting Phase 2 today since our schedules will get crazy with graduation, etc., in a little over a month, which means we went one week shy of the recommended length of time dedicated to Phase 1.  We're not doing this with the explicit goal of killing ourselves with the new Phase 2 workouts, but it's definitely going to be a challenge in case we haven't sufficiently built up our core muscles.  I tried a few moves yesterday from today's Chest + Back + Balance workout as a preview, and there are a few moves I simply CAN'T do!  I don't think that's ever been the case before with a P90X workout.  Sure, there are moves that I've been sloppy on at first, but this time it looks like I may just have to throw up the white flag on a few.  I'm expecting a humbling experience for certain, but as Tony Horton would say..."Keep Pushing Play"!