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P90X2 Day 26: Yoga

During Tony Horton’s introduction he says, “Don’t get caught up in being perfect.” That is a great reminder for me and other folks who aren’t so good at yoga. There are plenty of things in P90X and P90X2 that are difficult for me, but the proper form in yoga seems particularly elusive.

One of the warm up exercises which appears in this workout and others is called Swingers. Interesting name, right? Well, it’s just swinging your arms back and forth while keeping the lower half of your body steady.

I made it through the first 20 minutes (moving Asanas) pretty well. I was a little behind the pace of the DVD, but my shoulders held out through most of the Downward Dog repetitions.

During the middle section, the transitions from Warrior 3 to Half Moon to Reverse Half Moon, I am still having a difficult time. Maybe I am worn out from the first part of the workout. I am doing OK with the Warrior 2 Lunge and Triangle pose, as well as the Runner’s Stretch and Single Leg Hamstring Stretch. No splits for me yet!

In the final 20 minutes or so, I am doing OK but not great on the abdominal exercises (Who came up with the Abrinome?). It’s good to see some of the same stretches (Frog and Pigeon) that are used in Recovery and Mobility.

I wonder if my heart rate monitor is working right. If I am below my minimum “exercise” heartrate, it doesn’t seem to add those calories to my total. A lot of the time during yoga I am staying still or trying to relax, but I’m not dead, so I’m still expending calories, right?

January 20th, 2012 | Category: abrinome, heart rate monitor, P90X2, success, Tony Horton, warrior 3, X2 Yoga, yoga | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 25: Balance and Power

I was really running late today, partly because I was trying to get caught up on this blog! As a result, my main goal was getting through the workout with a minimum of pauses and skipped exercises, so I could get back on track for the morning routine.

As I have mentioned, I am working on using the stability ball for more exercises than I did at the beginning. I had better form today on Mountain Climbers using the ball. I did the Sphinx to Plank Roll Up with the ball, and it actually helped, because I have difficulty raising both forearms off the floor at the same time. That’s why I never liked the Sphinx push ups! I tried the Crawly Crab Press with the ball again, but tumbled over after a couple of repetitions. Oops.

I didn’t do the bonus round again this week, due to lack of time, and I skipped a couple of exercises as it was getting close to my stopping time. I need to start earlier to correct this problem. I had to shorten the cool down and stretch, too.

How do you manage the time required for some of the P90X and P90X2 workouts? Do you memorize the workout moves and do them at your own pace, rather than follow Tony? Do you skip exercises, or the second half of the workout if necessary?

January 19th, 2012 | Category: Balance and Power, P90X, P90X2, stability ball, time management, Tony Horton | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 24: Recovery and Mobility

I got through the entire DVD today, after a decent night’s rest. This was also my first full session with the new PVC-and-foam roller. I did my best to keep up with Tony Horton and “the kids.” Of course, Tony encourages us to take as much time as we need, but an hour seems long enough. The “before” and “after” for me when it came to the mobility portions of the workout was noticeable, but not miraculous. My squats were better, and my balance improved, but I was also warmed up from all that moving around on the roller. I think that’s an understated part of this recovery day, because you do spend a lot of time holding yourself up on your arms, or other challenging positions.

I ate a few more calories today, too. We get together with friends once a week, and there’s cake… That’s part of recovery too, I guess.

January 18th, 2012 | Category: Exercise recovery, foam roller, myofascial release, P90X2, sleep, Tony Horton | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 23: Plyocide

I worked hard today. This was a fasted workout session, as recommended by Ben Greenfield (search for “Ben Greenfield Intermittent Fasting”) as well as the P90X2 Nutrition Guide. The idea is that if you eat three meals a day, and work out for an hour or less per day, even first thing in the morning your body should have enough reserve energy (glycogen) to last through the workout. I don’t do fasted workouts as often as I could, but on cardio days for some reason it’s easier for me to do them.

Exercise notes:

  • I was more coordinated on the Weighted Katherine lunge and Spartan Lunge
  • I did 11 plyo push ups after the Super Skater Kicks. Yes, I made some toe tapping mistakes, but it’s also nice to see my progress with the plyo push ups.
  • I was not very enthusiastic during the Depth Charge (step on/off the chair, and jump)
  • I did 8 Frog Burpee Hops, despite being tired at this point
  • I did 10 plyo pushups after the Single Leg Squat
  • I was really tired during/after P90 Cross Hop. Again, it’s harder than it looks!
  • My Flying Fighter Kick had good form, but I was tired
  • Despite my fatigue, I almost kept up with the final Set/Sprint/Plyo/Plank/Jump
I did the entire cool down and neuro-integrated stretch today. I think I am getting the hang of the technique: Pull in one direction while you push in the opposite direction, or something like that. It was definitely good for my tight hamstrings and hip flexors.
I just noticed several floor-to-ceiling angle camera shots during the workout. Why is that? Do they like the glare from the lights?

January 17th, 2012 | Category: Ben Greenfield, intermittent fasting, P90X2, Plyocide, plyometrics, stretching | Comments are closed

P90X2 Day 22: X2 Core

I was a little nervous about how today’s workout was going to turn out. First, I did not get the best night’s sleep. It was OK, but not great. Then, I had to deal with a flaky heart rate monitor. I like to use the monitor to record my activity calories in Calorie Count, rather than using an estimate based on an activity type. Once I sorted all that out, I got to work.

I tried foam rolling with another DIY solution: A PVC pipe, wrapped in foam pipe insulation, wrapped in duct tape. It’s not bad, actually. It’s narrower than the 2-liter soda bottle, and I made it 3 feet long, so it’s easier to use without falling off the side. This is closer to the “basic” foam rollers which cost about $25, but of course not as good for the purpose as the Rumble Roller. I think Tony Horton wants to marry his Rumble Roller. He loves it so much!

I improved on a couple of exercises today compared to last week. I am not rock-steady on the Warrior 3 Cross Crunch, but I am certainly more comfortable doing it. Could this improve my yoga sessions too? Another noticeable improvement was the Holmsen Screamer Lunge. It’s not done on one foot, exactly, but the hand forward/opposite leg back was confusing me for a while. There are a couple of Burpee exercises (Plank Burpee on Stability Ball, but no ball for me; and One Leg Med Ball Burpee, again without the ball). I am getting better at putting my hands on the right spot on the floor so that when I hop back to push up position, I can do a proper push up. I raised my foot and hand for the first half of the Half Angel, if that makes sense; each “half” is on one side of the body.

I was nice and sweaty at the end, which means I didn’t pause too much (only a few times), and my form was good enough to follow along.

I have a day off today. Maybe I will preview a Phase 2 DVD!

January 16th, 2012 | Category: burpee, foam roller, heart rate monitor, P90X2, Tony Horton, X2 Core | Comments are closed
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