CHALEAN EXTREME Day 24: Day 3 of my P90x-style recovery week (did Kenpo Plus+)

(Originally posted May 13, 2009)

Well, another day in my P90x style recovery week. And again I see how much I generally prefer P90x and Tony Horton to Chalean Extreme. That doesn't mean Chalean hasn't gotten me some good results (especially insofar as muscle size is concerned; the slow/heavy mantra has really helped build my chest up).

Anyway, Katie decided not to come do Kenpo Plus+ with me last night because of how badly she bonked during yoga the other night. She decided that she wasn't cut out for the fitness world and that I should simply go it alone. It was a tough decision, but I managed to persevere wtihout her. (but between you and me, what a lame-o!) ;)

Like with yoga, it's been over a month since I've done Kenpo Plus+, and I sorta have missed it. Part of that has to do with the fact that Kenpo Plus+ is pretty much the only straight cardio I've done in forever. Everything in ChaLean tends to be a bit more intervals-influenced which jacks with the heart rate a lot! I mean, intervals are super effective, but sometimes you just want to go at things with a steadier pace :) All in all though, Kenpo was fun to revisit. I got a great sweat going, threw plenty of uncoordinated punches and kicks...all that good stuff.

Tonight is technically supposed to be stretch day according to the P90x recovery schedule, but we'll see. I might instead try out the Recharge video from ChaLean. It looks like a mix of stretching and yoga...and it's shorter :)

This weekend I have a wedding to go to, so it might be hard to fit all the workouts in. I think Katie and I might figure out a way to do yoga on saturday, but I have another round of Core Synergistics on Friday which I'm thinking I'll have to forego. Oh well!

P90X Day 48: Kenpo Cardio Plus+

(Originally posted Feb 24, 2009)

For those who've been following my updates, you'll recall that I recently ordered the P90x Plus+ dvd's (which are for P90x grads wanting to take it to the "next level") to rotate into my regular P90x workout schedule. The reason for this is primarily because a) the P90x Plus+ workouts are a little bit shorter, albeit more intense, and b) I've been longing for a little bit more variety in my weekly routine. 

Anyway, tonight would normally be Kenpo X night, but instead I decided to dip my toes into the P90x Plus+ waters with Kenpo Cardio Plus+. Running at around 43 minutes instead of a full hour for Kenpo X, the new workout was no slouch! After about 10 minutes I was pouring sweat, and I feel pretty confident that my butt got kicked a lot harder than it normally does. That being said, this workout also struggles a bit due to the speed of the whole thing. There are pretty much zero breaks throughout, and each new exercise move isn't very well introduced. I had to watch some of them for a while before I even had any idea what I was supposed to do...and then I'd have to rewind to the beginning of that section to get in the full workout. So yeah, not the greatest cueing on this one...but still, it's a routine that I'm glad to now be able to rotate in with my other P90x stuff. 

*tomorrow is a rest day, and then then begins Week 8 which is another "rest week" . I NEED IT