If you are reading other P90X2 blogs (It’s OK, I won’t be upset), you may have noticed that I am doing the Balance and Power workout on day 4, rather than the recommended day 6. That’s because I want to allow extra time for the Total Body workout, followed by the new and, um, different X2 Ab Ripper. (Not harder, just different, remember?) I want to be more consistent with Ab Ripper this time around!
Did I really need a recovery day yesterday? Well, I was glad to have it nonetheless. Today, it was back to business, with the X2 Balance and Power workout. First, there was the familiar warm up routine: Stability ball twists, squats and lunges, foam rolling (or optional static stretching), and something else I haven’t mentioned yet… There are three warm up exercises which are not strictly stretches, but they are included in this section. One is “The World’s Greatest Stretch,” which is done in a runner’s stretch position, one arm extended straight up, then the other. “Groiners” are done in a similar lunge position, with the front leg alternating on each repetition. Guess which part of the body this is meant to stretch! The “Inch Worm” is a bent over hamstring stretch, then a plank pose (of course!), standing back up for another stretch, and so on. The “Scorpion” is done while on the floor, face down, using leg movements to stretch the lower back and glutes.
The workout is divided into three sections of six exercises each, followed by a “bonus round” of three exercises. Continuing with the theme “exercises I used to skip,” there are a couple of Sphinx exercises, one Warrior 3 exercise (with weights), and several other moves on one foot. Some returning favorites from P90X: The “Katherine” lunge, the Split lunge (a.k.a. the Balance lunge, this time with a stability ball), and the plyometric pushup (two times per rep, sideways, with optional medicine ball).
This is the first workout of the week which uses dumbbells. As a matter of fact, it’s better to go light until you are comfortable with the form of each exercise. Tony provides warnings at several points, and actually says “I warned you.” It’s not worth injuring yourself because you wanted to be tough while holding weights above your head while standing on one foot. Of course, I wrote the weights I used on my worksheet, and I will increase as I improve.
As I look down my worksheet, this is definitely a workout that screams “Do your best, forget the rest!” Lots of room for improvement here, and I have tried it twice already during my learning weeks. I did feel a little more confident with the toe touch moves (while standing on one foot, naturally), trying to be careful to keep the elevated foot near the opposite ankle. This position is used for so many exercises (going to the floor for pushups or burpees, for example) that it will be good to perfect it.
The P90X2 Fitness Guide says “Balance and Power picks up where X2 Core ends,” so that explains why there is a lot of similarity between the two workouts. Maybe that’s why it was supposed to be later in the week, too. Hmm. Well, if I manage to get in the extra ab workout with this modified schedule, I think it will be worth it.
Tomorrow is yoga day…
Is anyone getting really good at plank poses, exercises in the Sphinx position, or going up and down on one foot?
