P90X – Day 36 – Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

I’m modifying the workout routine this week, since tomorrow morning I will be starting my Enshin Karate training in Denver.  For those who haven’t followed the details, Enshin was created by Kancho (Master) Joko Ninomiya, also the founder of the Sabaki Challenge – the one I hope to compete at in 2012.
So, what’s the modification, you ask?  Well, I’m just skipping the Ab Ripper X routine for a while.  It’s a 17-minute workout, and always appended to another hour-long workout.  So, with all the cardio I’ll be doing, I’m going to skip it for a while.
But I DID do the entire Chest, Shoulders and Triceps routine.  But more astute followers of this blog will notice I’m on Day 36, then do the math, then go “WTF?”. 
Well, I had to take a week off.  My body was in such pain that I couldn’t continue for a while.  I even had to call in to work one of those days – and making up those hours SUCKED.  So I started Week 6 over again.  With the Ab Ripper exclusion, I should have more energy, but still get a great fat-burning workout – as long as I push myself properly during the rest of the workouts and Karate training.

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P90X – Day 32 – Kenpo X

So I messed up and did Kenpo X today, when I was actually scheduled for Yoga X today.  Oh, well.  I’ll do Yoga on Saturday, instead.

But I suppose it’s for the best.  My body felt like utter crap today, so I was only able to do even the first thirty minutes or so of the workout. 

Man, this sucks.  I hurt.  A lot.

 

 

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P90X – Day 31 – Back & Biceps

Holy hell.  This workout SUCKED. 

I couldn’t keep up on almost any of the pull-ups or chin-ups, even with a chair.  My biceps were so beat tired by that time.

And after that, along with a 90-minute workout with the Taekwondo group (we did circuits and some cardio-based martial art moves), I decided to forgo the Ab Ripper X workout for today.  Sue me.

 

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P90X – Day 30 - Plyometrics

One month down.  I still hate this workout.

For those who might just now be tuning in, this workout is jumping.  And by that, I mean JUMPING.  A lot.  High impact like crazy.  I couldn’t even do half of the movements my first week of this, due to my recent ankle injury.

But I continue.  My ankle is strengthening now, as is my heart and legs.  My heart rate used to be in the low 140s, and pushing it to 150bpm was a serious stretch.  My heart could keep up, but my legs just couldn’t.  But I pushed.

Now, my heart rate is easily over 150 (only goes lower if we’re on a water break), and is regularly 163+bpm.

Tomorrow is Back & Biceps day.  This will be my first run of this workout.  Good thing, too.  My triceps are KILLING me from  yesterday.

 

 

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P90X – Day 29 – Shoulders, Chest & Triceps / Ab-Ripper X

Okay, so today was a big shocker for me.  Today begins Phase 2 of the P90X workout plan.

I was trying to imagine ahead of time just how different these muscles groups could be worked.  I mean, really…just how many ways do muscles flex?

Oh gods – I got a VERY RUDE awakening.  Tony Horton is again an asshole in my world. 
Several of the pushup variations I couldn’t do AT ALL by the time we got to them.  And yes, even on my knees, I had to mark a big fat ZERO on my tracking sheet for some of these movements.

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P90X – Day 28 – Yoga X

So I wound up not having time yesterday to do my Yoga workout.  But that’s okay, since Sundays are supposed to be stretch/rest days, anyway.  So I moved my Yoga to today…

…and got Tyr and Cherie to do it with me.  They hate me, now.

But it was good.  I could do more, balance better, lunge further, and finish more of the “reps”.  I’m getting better, and at a fairly dramatic pace.

Tomorrow begins Phase 2.  Back to the hard core workouts.

 

P90X – Day 26 – Core Synergistics

So today was Core Synergistics again. I still did not do the “Bonus Round”, as I am just WIPED after 45 minutes in the main round.

Tomorrow is Yoga X again.  Let’s see if I can hang.

 

P90X - Day 25 - X-Stretch

Damn, that feels so good.  Just an hour of stretching (some strength required on a few, but not a full "workout").

Tomorrow is Core Synergistics again.  This should be fun.

P90X - Day 24 - Kenpo X

Another great Kenpo workout.  I won't say it's getting easier, but I am able to hang and get almost every rep down, now.  My heart rate is staying higher for longer periods, too.  When I first did this, I was lucky to get 155.  Now I'm almost plateauing (instead of peaking) at 173bpm.

Tomorrow is X-Stretch.  Almost over with the "rest" week.

P90X - Day 23 - Core Synergistics

Okay, so today was about Core Synergistics.  Basically, it's an hour long program of working several muscles together on various exercises.  And, as the name implies, it focuses on the core - not the abs.  For those who need the difference, the "Core" is your abs, hip flexors, lower lats, lumbar region, and mid thoracic area.  Pretty much anything above your knees and below your chest.

So it started out pretty rough, and went on from there.  But you don't spend so much time doing one thing that you feel like you're going to die from it.  Just when you think you've gone too far with the plank position, you move to the abs, then you move to the lower back, then you add in the hip flexors, then it goes to a cardio-based portion.

A couple of the exercises I can't do, yet.  Either due to flexibility or prior injuries.

All in all, a pretty good workout.  I have another one of these on Friday.  Should be good.

P90X - Day 22 - Yoga X

Today starts the "easy" week.

Of course, what does that rat bastard, Tony Horton, start me out on?  That's right!  Damn YOGA!!!  The bane of my existence for working out.


Guess what?  I FINISHED IT!  That's right.  90 minutes of very hard workouts.  Of course, the really hard part is all in the first 45 minutes, where you spend a LOT of time in the plank (push-up) position.  Then a lot is stretching - but stretching in a way to test and build your strength, at the same time.

Tomorrow is Core Synergistics.  I haven't done that one, yet. 

P90X - Day 21 - Kenpo X / X-Stretch

Okay, so I slacked for a day, and didn't do a thing yesterday.  I just felt like crap, still.  But I'm allowed - nay, REQUIRED to take one day of rest each week; preferably as a stretch day.

But since I didn't do my extended stretches yesterday either, I did them as a combo workout today.

So I started the day off working out my TKD students, introducing them to some of the Kenpo X routine, but far shortened, and far less intensive.  But it was fun.  But this evening, I did the Kenpo X routine in full.  I got dizzy for a few seconds (a bad sign), but it went away and I seemed to get my second wind.  Damn, that's a fun workout, but INTENSE.  A lot of punches, kicks, and blocks, all built into a rather coordinated cardio workout.  I even gave a few copies to a couple students so they could work on their fitness levels at home.

X-Stretch is exactly that: extreme stretching.  Basically, an hour of stretching from head to toe (literally).  It has some Yoga elements in it, but it feels sooooo damn good after you're done.


Tomorrow starts Week 4, which is a reduced intensity for most of the components of P90X.