Categories

Archives

A sample text widget

Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.

Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan. Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem, suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.

P90X2 Day 41: Base + Back and Ab Ripper

I came into today’s workout with two goals: Do it all, and do it in a reasonable amount of time. I started at 9 AM, and I finished at about 10:30 AM. I got through all the exercises, plus Ab Ripper, and I survived. Mission accomplished!

Since I was more familiar with the workout this time, I was ready for the tricky moves in the Plyo Lunge Press. I had better form this time, even with a 5-pound weight. Some of the transitions between plyo exercises and the resistance bands still take a little longer than I would like.

For Round 2, I added 5-lb Bodylastics band to the weight I was already using (an additional 10 lbs to pull). It’s a little tricky for me, because I slide on the floor as I pull back on the weight, but I am doing my best and… you know!

Ab Ripper was a little more tiring when I actually did it immediately following the main workout, but now I am becoming such an expert, since I am doing it so often… Nah, it was still pretty tough.

Cast note: Tony Horton mentions a “flop sweat” again, in reference to one of the guys, as he did a few times in P90X.

February 4th, 2012 | Category: Ab Ripper, Bodylastics, flop sweat, P90X2, p90x2 base back, plyometrics, Tony Horton | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 40: Yoga

Day 40 seems so significant, and yet, it’s just another step along the P90X2 “journey,” as Tony Horton calls it. For me, it’s noteworthy that I have not skipped a single yoga session along the way.

I kept up the pace during the Single/Double/Triple sequence. My shoulders were getting sore, though, so I took a rest in Child’s Pose after the last Double.

The Warrior 3 sequence is still difficult for me (read: I had trouble doing it at all). I stumbled a lot. I tried using a small hand weight as a yoga block, but the extra height didn’t help much. I guess I need to work on my leg strength and balance.

When it came time to do the Crane, I seem to have improved on my previous attempts. I was leaning pretty far forward onto my triceps, with my fingertips on the floor. Not very graceful, but better.

I gave it my best shot on the Plough to Shoulder Stand, too. I stayed on my shoulders, off my neck, and controlled my legs up and down. I tumbled toward the end.

On to day 41, and beyond!

February 3rd, 2012 | Category: P90X2, Tony Horton, warrior 3, yoga | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 39: Shoulders and Arms

I decided to sleep an extra hour today, and tried to rush through my morning routine, rather than cutting my sleep short. This is the eternal dilemma of sleep vs. exercise, at least for me… The real answer, of course, is to leave myself enough time to sleep 7-8 hours and tighten up (ha ha) my workout prep/exercise/clean up.

Exercise notes:

  • I increased the weight I used (compared to last week) on the Overhead Tricep Pull. Just like in the P90X version, we must be careful when lifting weights overhead. Now we’re using a stability ball, too.
  • Is my balance getting better? I was a little more comfortable lifting weights while in unstable positions.

I was running out of time, so I cut Round 3 a little short. Also, I skipped the Ab Ripper section in the morning, and I did not get back to it in the evening, either. At least there will be some abs work during yoga tomorrow.

Once again, I am wondering if I am using lighter weights for better balance at the expense of a more difficult workout. My arms are not as sore as they might have been back in the P90X days.

February 2nd, 2012 | Category: P90X2, P90X2 Shoulders and Arms, sleep, time management | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 38: Recovery and Mobility

I did the entire Recovery and Mobility session today. I am getting good at maneuvering the foam roller to get through each section at the same pace as the DVD. Of course, I know I can take as long as I want, use the pause button as Tony Horton says all the time, but I can’t just sit there for over an hour at that time of the morning, right? I am doing my best to hit the “hot spots” and leave the rest alone, except for a quick pass. I am even mastering the tricky inner thigh roll, which sounds weird, but it’s not as fun as it seems, either. It’s just hard to roll in the right direction.

During the mobility exercises, I had a hard time with the toe touches, before and after the foam rolling. My balance still needs some improvement, apparently.

February 1st, 2012 | Category: balance, Exercise recovery, foam roller, P90X2 | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 37: Plyocide

We’re arriving at the gym late again, or at least Mark Briggs is! I guess they need some sort of intro for the workouts. Jillian Michaels uses a similar fake huddle or clipped conversation at the beginning of her videos, too.

This workout has been with me since the first week, so I have covered a lot of the details. Here are some highlights from today’s session:

  • This time, I did the not-so-Fast Feet Chair Jump. I was tired already!
  • My Warrior 3 Lunge wasn’t too bad. It seems I can do that move from a standing position pretty well, as long as it’s not part of a yoga routine.
  • My Spartan Lunges weren’t so deep, but fairly coordinated
  • I did 11 plyo push ups after the Super Skater Kicks
  • I did 9 Frog Burpee Hops (a personal best so far, in that 60-second time period)
  • I did 10 plyo push ups after the Single-Leg Squats. I deserved it, because my squats weren’t so good.
  • I kept going all the way through the P90 Cross Hop, at a slower pace, but I didn’t stop

I did not pause the DVD except for taking brief notes and my wife’s two minute interruption near the end. I know Tony Horton never mentions this reason for the pause button, but I’m sure it’s OK. Also, this time around I did the entire neuro-integrated stretch session.

My “bonus round” was a make-up Ab Ripper session in the evening, to replace the one I missed last night. It’s amazing how I can motivate myself to do a 15-minute workout at that time, when I used to think it wasn’t worth the effort..

January 31st, 2012 | Category: Ab Ripper, neuro-integrated stretch, P90X2, Plyocide, plyometrics, push ups, success | Comments are closed
« Newer Entries  
  Older Entries »