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I finally got away from following Tony and the Kids during the foam rolling section of Recovery and Mobility. After rolling my arms and legs while watching The Biggest Loser (on Hulu), I turned the DVD back on for the last 20 minutes of mobility exercises and stretching.
I am getting really curious about the One on One Upper Body Balance video, which I haven’t tried yet. Maybe tomorrow I will substitute that one for this week’s second session of P.A.P. Upper. Similar, but different?
This preview is more of a teaser which recaps the One on One Volume 2 without showing much of Upper Body Balance (the last of this set). I just checked on Beachbody’s site, and I was surprised to see they charge just under $240 for the 12-disk set. At $20 each, that’s pricey for fitness videos, especially when you are purchasing them in a set. On the other hand, I notice that Volume 3 has some familiar looking titles, like V Sculpt, Plyocide, and P.A.P. It might be worth purchasing V Sculpt for $20 plus $3 shipping. Ugh.
P90X2 Tip of the Day: It might be a little late for this, but if possible, save your pennies to buy the P90X2 Deluxe kit, which includes all the P90X2 workouts, a stability ball, two medicine balls, and a foam roller. I wish I did!
My shoulders are sensitive today! This has been a problem near the end of every round of P90X, and apparently P90X2 is no different. I took a break in Child’s Pose in between each of the Single/Double/Triple, but I did not skip any Vinyasas.
The Warrior 3 sequence was less shaky this week. I’m not saying the transitions into Half Moon and Twisting Half Moon were so good, but the basic stance was OK.
Crane poses were good, after some hesitation. Why can’t I get my knees onto my triceps, instead of my elbows?
Here’s where my usual time crunch came into play. I skipped the Frog and Pigeon poses (stretches, really), which is no big deal since I can do them in tomorrow’s Recovery and Mobility session. I also skipped the Plough to Shoulder Stand, which has always been problematic for me.
P90X2 Tip of the Day: Don’t smash your forehead attempting the Crane pose!
At this point in my P90X2 journey, I’m curious about the other Tony Horton One on One DVD included with my P90X2 set, and it appears to be an upper body workout. For today, I stuck with P.A.P. Upper, and increased the weights I used for the Renegade Row and Step Up Hammer Press, just to make it interesting.
Workout notes:
- During the warm up, we do Burpee Salutations, which is really just a Burpee with a yoga flourish at the end. I am pleased to say that I do the Burpees a lot better than when I started P90X2. I put my hands down in the same spot more or less every time. I support myself with my hands and arms as I lift my feet to the push up position. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s a lot more graceful than it used to be.
- As I said, I increased the weight on the Renegade Row (just a few pounds), but that meant fewer reps after the first set. It also affected my performance on the Plyo Push ups immediately afterwards. Is it such a good idea to do two push up exercises in a row, Tony? Either it’s an honest mistake, or I am missing the big picture here.
- My form for the Plank on Med Ball/Chair and the Superman with Weighted Stick is getting pretty good, actually. These are still killer moves, or should I say “don’t moves.”
- In the second complex, it feels like the Towel Pull Ups are getting easier with the current bands I am using. Maybe I need to increase the weight here too?
- By using the Pause button, I am ready for the Med Ball Pike instead of rushing to catch up every time.
- I did the first two sets of Step Up Hammer Press with heavier weights, then reduced the weight to keep my form (and my back).
- The Roller Angel is still tougher than it looks. Keep those elbows and wrists back!
I did the full cool down stretch, including the neuro-integrated stretch on the stability ball, which is pretty easy to learn compared to the leg stretches.
P90X2 Tip of the Day: When doing weightlifting exercises, don’t stick with a weight that feels comfortable for too long. Experiment with a higher weight, but don’t sacrifice proper form either!
Yes, I am still doing P90X2. As a matter of fact, the workout I did today was included with the P90X2 “Base” kit (a.k.a. “The one I could afford”). It shares a lot of the same principles as P90X2, particularly the workouts in Phase 1.
Some details about the video:
- Tony calls it “One on One on One Leg (OOOOOL)”
- It describes itself as “approximately 52 minutes”
- It is Volume 2 Disk 11 of the One on One series
- Music by Jason Scheff (of P90X2 Shoulders and Arms fame)
A quick comment about music on workout DVDs: I am not a fan. There is music on all the P90X and P90X2 DVDs. Jillian Michaels includes music with hers, too. I appreciate the “No Music” audio track provided with P90X and P90X2. As a matter of fact, it took me a while to realize one of the things I did not like about P90X Yoga was the ethereal music. The silence helps me find my zen a little better, it seems. Anyway, with apologies to Jason, I wish I could turn off the music track here. It would make it easier to understand what Tony is saying at certain spots.
The setup for the workout is Tony, his director Mason Bendenwald, and another cameraman. They are in Tony’s spacious and well-equipped home gym. Tony does all the exercises by himself, until the very end when Mason joins him for a final set of push ups.
There are 10 exercises on Tony’s handwritten list (notepad from Staples office supply store). For each exercise, Tony does the repetitions on one leg, then the other. He talks a lot about his bad right knee and left ankle. The skiing injury which led to his fitness career is also a constant reminder of his human frailty, I guess.
Exercise notes:
- At certain points in this workout, you can really see the influences that went into P90X2. There are one-legged squats, the one-legged Chair position, and even the P90 Cross Hop (using a quarter as the focal point).
- The Warrior 3 position is here too, as a Standing Split and something called a Teeter Totter
- There are some interesting yoga-inspired moves not seen in P90X2, such as a Half Moon Lunge and a Royal Dancer Kick
- Near the end of the workout, Tony takes us outside to his equally spacious backyard, to do wall squats. Apparently there isn’t a convenient wall inside, or he just wanted a change of scenery for a couple of minutes.
This is definitely a tough workout. If I had not been doing all this balance stuff already, I would not have been able to keep up as well as I did, which is still not up to Tony’s level, of course. We were both tired and sweaty at the end of the session. Usually I can’t put in that level of effort on a new workout, but I guess it wasn’t so new after all.
P90X2 Tip of the Day: Check out whatever “bonus” DVDs are included with your P90X2 set. It’s fun to change the routine a little!
I took my usual break from exercise today, and spent some time finishing my preview of the Tony Horton One on One: 4 Legs video, which I started watching a few days ago. I think I will do this instead of one P.A.P. Lower workout this week, and see how I like it. It looks like a predecessor to the P90X2 Phase 1 workouts, with an emphasis on legs and core. Maybe if I had watched it sooner, I would have done this in Phase 1…
P90X2 Tip of the Day: I don’t think Tony will mind if I take a break from Tony and the Kids to work out with Tony One on One. It looks like he has a hard time keeping up with himself!
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