When I first began P90x, I thought the months would drag, doing the same workouts for 13 weeks! But it has really sped by. In this phase you do the Phase 1 workouts in weeks 9 and 11, and Phase 2 workouts in weeks 10 and 12, with week 13 being the final recovery week - wherein you collapse and die...I mean wherein you congratulate yourself for a job well done, and stand in front of the mirror looking pleased.
In the past few weeks I have eliminated yoga and replaced it with XStretch. The yoga is an excellent program, but it is very long and very hard to do along with the difficult resistance work. The stretch is very yoga inspired and a full hour itself, and it definitely filled the flexibility need, although it's lacking the strength work in Yoga X, which is why I'm skipping it! Doing it the day after Back and Biceps (Phase 2) or Shoulders and Arms (Phase 1) is just too much, and it was having a serious dread factor for me. I didn't even do it in the last recovery week. I am sure I will pull it out again sometime in the future, but not in a P90X rotation. I have also used Ab Ripper X only once or twice a week, rather than 3 times.
As I get closer to the end of the 90 days, I appreciate this program even more. I think that in the future I will pattern my workout weeks on the P90x protocol -three days of strength, two of cardio and one flexibility. I may even alternate one month P90x/one month other workouts or perhaps 2 weeks P90x/2 weeks other workouts just to maintain the great results I have gotten with these discs. I think the results would have actually been incredible if I had really cleaned up my eating, but I haven't changed that at all. I am considering making November "Blast Off the Fat" month and eating super clean (no processed foods, refined grains, etc), but it is cooler and this is when I like to bake! So, while I may watch it a bit, I ain't makin' no promises.
As far as results go - I have gotten stronger, developed better balance and greater cardio endurance. My "problem areas" look much better, and my "non-problem areas" look excellent. I have lost quite a bit of fat from all over, and like I said, this is without changing my eating habits - which are not horrible, but not super healthy, either. I just think my body likes the amount of weight work in this program, and that my metabolism is doing well as I build up more muscle. I still can't do a pullup, but Husband will be making me a pullup bar that I can use when I do another round of the X sometime next year, and hopefully I'll be able to do at least one then! I can do a lot more pushups on my toes than I could do at the beginning, and can do kinds of pushups that were really too difficult for me when I started.
I have learned a lot of new exercises, and feel like I have come to understand weightlifting more - which muscles are worked with which exercises, etc. I think I could advise someone on designing a weightlifting regimen, and know that if I were stranded somewhere without my DVDs, I could keep myself in shape. I told myself that I would not purchase the personail trainer certification program until I finished this, because I figured it would be a good education as well as a good physical challenge, and it definitely has been.
I'm too tired to say anything else but P90x ROCKS!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Deep Into Week 7...
...And I am getting tired! Not tired of mah man Tony, but physically tired! Next week is the second recovery week, and I am definitely looking forward to it mentally, and my body is craving a weight-free week
The resistance workouts that were added in Phase 2 have been a lot more challenging than those in Phase 1, although it is the cumulative effect of five days of high-intensity workouts taken together that makes this program so tough. I am glad that I did not like the Kenpo disc and so have two days off each week...if I didn't, I think I be really burned out and maybe slacking off. I have been taking the extra day off on Wednesday or Thursday instead of Saturday, and I usually feel ready to work hard again the next day.
An interesting thing is that some days I am stronger than others, and I don't know why. On certain days I can lift heavier weights, or do more pushups or whatever, while other days I need to take more breaks as well as choose lighter dumbbells. Last week I felt really wiped out, and now that I think about it, I remember that I stayed up until 2am at least three times last week, watching a televison show online, believe it or not.
Now, a little about the workouts of Phase 2. Shoulders, Chest and Triceps is one of the hardest workouts I have ever done, and Back and Biceps is not far behind. I collapse on the next-to-last exercise in SCT, which is a pushup that then goes into a side plank pose:
I wish that exercise came earlier in the workout, since it is a move I like a lot - I think I might skip to it early on the next time I do that DVD so I can do more than one rep without my arm literally giving out.
Back and Biceps doesn't feel that tough when I am doing it, but near the end my muscles are so fatigued I can hardly hold my pen to write down my weight/repetitions. I'm not kidding - my hand almost doesn't work to grip the pen! I've heard about working your muscles until "failure" but this is the first workout where I have actually done that - I try to lift the weight one more time and physically cannot do it. This happens even though I have chosen to lower the weight I use for biceps, because I don't want to look like Ahnold.
After the recovery week (Week 8) I will be in Phase 3, which alternates the workouts from Phases 1 and 2 every other week. I am looking forward to that, as I enjoy all of them. I am pleasantly surprised that I have not gotten tired of any of these workouts. I have never done a "rotation" before, rotation meaning doing particular DVDs/types of exercise/instructors for a certain length of time instead of just picking something random each day. I thought that a rotation would cramp my spontaneous side, but in fact it has been a good discipline for me. I think in the future I am going to do rotations more often. I am already thinking about what to do during December!
I do plan on buying 3 of the 5 workouts from P90X plus, but I am going to take at least a month away from Tony and do something less intense. On my current workout wishlist is:
Anni Mairs 4 pack
Squeeze Stronger
Core Fusion
Chalean Extreme (which will probably be what I do from January through March)
New Bar Methods
P90X Interval Plus, Upper Body Plus, Upper/Lower Plus
When I will be able to afford all those, and in what order I get them, has yet to be determined.
Now it's time to read to Moppet 3 while I nurse the baby - just lyin' down sounds mighty good after all this exercise talk!
The resistance workouts that were added in Phase 2 have been a lot more challenging than those in Phase 1, although it is the cumulative effect of five days of high-intensity workouts taken together that makes this program so tough. I am glad that I did not like the Kenpo disc and so have two days off each week...if I didn't, I think I be really burned out and maybe slacking off. I have been taking the extra day off on Wednesday or Thursday instead of Saturday, and I usually feel ready to work hard again the next day.
An interesting thing is that some days I am stronger than others, and I don't know why. On certain days I can lift heavier weights, or do more pushups or whatever, while other days I need to take more breaks as well as choose lighter dumbbells. Last week I felt really wiped out, and now that I think about it, I remember that I stayed up until 2am at least three times last week, watching a televison show online, believe it or not.
Now, a little about the workouts of Phase 2. Shoulders, Chest and Triceps is one of the hardest workouts I have ever done, and Back and Biceps is not far behind. I collapse on the next-to-last exercise in SCT, which is a pushup that then goes into a side plank pose:
I wish that exercise came earlier in the workout, since it is a move I like a lot - I think I might skip to it early on the next time I do that DVD so I can do more than one rep without my arm literally giving out.Back and Biceps doesn't feel that tough when I am doing it, but near the end my muscles are so fatigued I can hardly hold my pen to write down my weight/repetitions. I'm not kidding - my hand almost doesn't work to grip the pen! I've heard about working your muscles until "failure" but this is the first workout where I have actually done that - I try to lift the weight one more time and physically cannot do it. This happens even though I have chosen to lower the weight I use for biceps, because I don't want to look like Ahnold.
After the recovery week (Week 8) I will be in Phase 3, which alternates the workouts from Phases 1 and 2 every other week. I am looking forward to that, as I enjoy all of them. I am pleasantly surprised that I have not gotten tired of any of these workouts. I have never done a "rotation" before, rotation meaning doing particular DVDs/types of exercise/instructors for a certain length of time instead of just picking something random each day. I thought that a rotation would cramp my spontaneous side, but in fact it has been a good discipline for me. I think in the future I am going to do rotations more often. I am already thinking about what to do during December!
I do plan on buying 3 of the 5 workouts from P90X plus, but I am going to take at least a month away from Tony and do something less intense. On my current workout wishlist is:
Anni Mairs 4 pack
Squeeze Stronger
Core Fusion
Chalean Extreme (which will probably be what I do from January through March)
New Bar Methods
P90X Interval Plus, Upper Body Plus, Upper/Lower Plus
When I will be able to afford all those, and in what order I get them, has yet to be determined.
Now it's time to read to Moppet 3 while I nurse the baby - just lyin' down sounds mighty good after all this exercise talk!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Recovery Week
I recovered a bit more than the P90x plan...Moppet 4 was ill for half the week and I felt pretty run down from lack of sleep. I was supposed to do:
Core Synergistics twice, YogaX twice, X Stretch once and Kenpo once.
I actually did:
Core Synergistics twice, YogaX once and Leslie Sansone twice, with one outside walk.
That is the lightest exercise week I have had in many months, and I definitely needed it. It is amazing that I have come to think of 5 days of exercise as a light week! When I was a slug I would have thought that was practically Olympic level training, heheheheeeee!! It was very nice to hardly lift weights at all...there were only a few moves in CS that called for weights, and I used light 8 pounders.
Core Synergistics was not as scary as it looked when I previewed it...I had a lot of fun doing it, actually. I do have a bruise on one of my hipbones from doing a few of the moves that have you on the ground, rolling from your back to your side or stomach and back again. For example, you would go from bow:
to boat:
...with the idea being to use your core to turn you around every 10 seconds, and of course these are both core postures themselves. The bruise is a drag, but back in early 2007 I had so much blubber on my hipbone that it probably would have been too cushioned to bruise!
Tomorrow I start Phase 2 and get back into the heavy strength work, with Back and Biceps - I haven't tried that one yet. It's going to be a busy week, and I don't think I'll always be able to do my workouts in the morning. When I expect to get off schedule I do start to hear my inner perfectionist complain, but I have pretty much learned to tune it out. I've been doing well with getting the workouts done in the afternoon or evening when mornings aren't convenient - but I also know that if I (gasp) miss a day I can just do it the next day. I am only gung-ho about getting in the 3 weighted workouts and Yoga each week...since I walk at least 2 miles most every night, and if I miss Plyometrics (or the Leslie I've been substituting for Kenpo) I know I'm still getting in the cardio.
Moppet 4 is ready for bed, and I need to rest up so Tony doesn't pound me into dust tomorrow.
Core Synergistics twice, YogaX twice, X Stretch once and Kenpo once.
I actually did:
Core Synergistics twice, YogaX once and Leslie Sansone twice, with one outside walk.
That is the lightest exercise week I have had in many months, and I definitely needed it. It is amazing that I have come to think of 5 days of exercise as a light week! When I was a slug I would have thought that was practically Olympic level training, heheheheeeee!! It was very nice to hardly lift weights at all...there were only a few moves in CS that called for weights, and I used light 8 pounders.
Core Synergistics was not as scary as it looked when I previewed it...I had a lot of fun doing it, actually. I do have a bruise on one of my hipbones from doing a few of the moves that have you on the ground, rolling from your back to your side or stomach and back again. For example, you would go from bow:
to boat:
...with the idea being to use your core to turn you around every 10 seconds, and of course these are both core postures themselves. The bruise is a drag, but back in early 2007 I had so much blubber on my hipbone that it probably would have been too cushioned to bruise!
Tomorrow I start Phase 2 and get back into the heavy strength work, with Back and Biceps - I haven't tried that one yet. It's going to be a busy week, and I don't think I'll always be able to do my workouts in the morning. When I expect to get off schedule I do start to hear my inner perfectionist complain, but I have pretty much learned to tune it out. I've been doing well with getting the workouts done in the afternoon or evening when mornings aren't convenient - but I also know that if I (gasp) miss a day I can just do it the next day. I am only gung-ho about getting in the 3 weighted workouts and Yoga each week...since I walk at least 2 miles most every night, and if I miss Plyometrics (or the Leslie I've been substituting for Kenpo) I know I'm still getting in the cardio.
Moppet 4 is ready for bed, and I need to rest up so Tony doesn't pound me into dust tomorrow.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Introducing My Scale and Entering Week 4 of P90X
I don't wear jeans, but I bought these at the thrift store to serve as my fitness gauge since I don't weigh myself, either. They are a size 8, according to the price tag, but there is no tag inside the jeans so the tag could have been lying...but they are pretty small. They fit me. I can't remember if I have ever worn a size 8 in my life, and in fact I would be perfectly happy to remain a size 8. But they could definitely fit and look better, and seeing how they do fit and look each week will tell me what's happening from the waist down. I am already seeing very good results in my upper back, and my whole back from the shoulders down is actually my target area, so I am happy ;-)
Next week is week 4, the first "recovery week" in P90X. I don't know why they call it a recovery week, since it still has 6 days of workouts, one of which looks very tough. It is called Core Synergistics and has all kinds of scary looking exercises for your entire core area, which includes your mid to lower back, which I hate to work...it's really hard! I hate even a simple back extension exercise. And I have to do that DVD twice! Then I have to do Yoga X twice! ACK! I am also supposed to do Kenpo twice, but since I removed it from the rotation I will either do Leslie on those days or take two extra days off, except for my evening 2 mile+ walk. I think I may need 3 days off before I barrel into week 5.
What I have found really interesting about working out is that you'd think the exercises would get easier as you become accustomed to them, but that is not always the case. It's true that after a while you will need to pick up a heavier weight to keep certain exercises challenging, but some exercises are so much about form that you actually feel them more as you become more proficient. The various forms of squats and lunges have been that way for me. I am a lot more sore after doing Legs and Back yesterday than I was in either of the previous weeks, and I think that is because I am finally using the right muscles because I am getting the form down.
I had noticed this same thing before I started P90x, with the various barre workouts. The movements in those are very small and various exercises can almost look the same if you are looking at them being performed, but there are small changes in how you position the body that shift the work from, for example, one of the gluteal or buns muscles to another. It's the same with pushups and pullups, as I have learned from Tony. Just a minor change in how you place your hands relative to your shoulders and chest (in pushups), and small changes in the width of your arms or the facing position of your hands (in pullups) shift the focus of the work.
I first thought of becoming a personal trainer when I realized that I was actually INTERESTED in which muscles were working when I did various exercises! After I make it through this P90X rotation I am going to send away for the materials and start studying. I'm sure it will take me quite some time, and I am still not sure how I would like to go about the whole thing. I would really like to simply get women (especially women at home with children, like myself) started in exercise and then introduce them to the wonderful world of fitness DVDs. I don't know if anyone does anything like that, and I think I may just start something eclectic and odd - we'll just have to see.
Right now I am so tired the thought of studying anything or ever picking up another weight is not appealing! The Moppets seem to have picked up yet another cold and I'm going to get to bed befor it get really late, as Moppet 4 especially does not sleep well when he is ill, and I expect to be up a lot.
Good night!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Entering Week Three With Tony
The Flag of Tony which Moppet 1 made for me
I will be entering Week Three of P90X and I liked it just as much in week 2 as I did the first week, and I was less sore! I was actually able to do one single, lone pullup on my bar! But that's one more than I could do the previous week. The rest I did using the bands like I did before, but I'm sure that I will be able to do at least a few more by the time I am finished with the rotation.
I wasn't sure if I would like doing the same instructor/same 12 DVDs for 90 days straight, but I think with the way the program is set up it won't be a problem. In the 13 weeks, this is how many times you do each disc:
Chest and Back - 5
Plyo X - 10
Shoulders and Arms - 5
Yoga X - 16
Legs and Back - 10
Kenpo - (which I hate and I'm doing Leslie instead) - 13
Chest, Shoulders, Triceps - 5
Back and Biceps - 5
Core Synergistics (which I won't get to until next week, which is the first recovery week) - 6
Ab Ripper X - 30 (you do this one every time you do a weight workout, but it's only 15 minutes!)
X Stretch - at least 3 (during recovery weeks) but optionally 13 if you choose to stretch on your rest day
This is the first time I have ever used a rotation. I thought I would hate them since I don't do well with schedules in other areas of life. But I actually like not having to decide what to do each day, and it will be interesting to be able to see how I progress in each focus area. When I am finished with P90X, I am going to do another 90 day program, also by Beachbody, that isdue to be released in November.
I found each workout to be just as difficult physically as I did the previous week, but it was easier mentally because I was familiar with the exercises. The first 45 minutes of Yoga X is tougher for me than any of the others. I was dripping sweat and my heart rate was up after the moving postures - that 45 minutes felt like hours to me, and there were a few times I almost stopped, but I told myself to keep on keepin' on, and I was glad I did. I pretend that Tony cares if I'm there and whether I finish and do my best! That is really weird, because I have never gotten that feeling from any DVD instructor before. Somehow he manages to send his Personal Training Vibe right through the television! Whether I will want to smash his face by the end of 90 days remains to be seen - some people who complete this program absolutely hate him by the end, and others love him and buy everything else he has ever done or will do.
This week will be a challenge because I am going back to Moppet 1's piano lessons tomorrow at 2pm, and we shall see how well I do getting done in enough time. I am usually pretty tired when I get home about 4ish, and I'm not sure if even Tony could convince me to do 150+ pushups at 5pm. Then Friday I go to the chiropractor and have a friend coming over soon after that...so, will I work out in the evening or do Friday's workout on Saturday? I have been doing well with interruptions and not following "the plan" exactly, without letting my inner perfectionist make me feel guilty. I only did half of Plyo X on Tuesday because Moppet 4 was sick and miserable, and on Saturday I did Leslie Sansone's brand new 5 Day Slim Down instead of the boring Kenpo X - Leslie really kicked my booty in that one. I did miles 2-5 and did use weights while Leslie did not...I also used my step to bump it up a notch in intensity...but that made it VERY intense and I was just as wiped out as I was when I did Tony's tough Plyometrics.
Now I'm just wiped out from a day of life. I am heading for bed, thrilled that it is cool and the air conditioner is off! I sleep so much better when I am breathing fresh air!
Monday, September 8, 2008
One Week Down, Twelve to Go!
Today I entered my second week of P90X. The only DVD I really didn't like was the Kenpo X, which is like kickboxing. I can't say if it is not a good kickboxing DVD or if it just confirms that I don't like kickboxing! I recently aquired a Turbo Jam DVD, which is kickboxing-ish , and if I don't like that (won't try it unil after P90X) I will know I've given kickboxing the ol' college try and accept that it's just not for me. I actually stopped this one about 15 minutes in (I really liked the warmup) and did a 30 minute Leslie instead.
Last Thursday, I managed to do all 90 minutes of Yoga X without breaking it up, and I enjoyed that a lot. It was more like power yoga than any yoga I have done in the past, which admittedly is not much. My whole body was sore the next day as if I had done a full body weight workout. My back ached from my shoulders all the way down - definitely caused by spending so much time in downward dog pose! The first 45 minutes of this workout consists of moving postures - you go from one yoga pose to another without much time spent holding each pose; maybe four breaths spent in each one. Then about 5 or 10 minutes of balance postures. I was very pleased to see that I have improved my very bad balance since I first did yoga last year. Now I have moderately bad balance. Then 25 or 30 minutes of floor poses - stretching and ab stuff. My body felt great after doing this one!
On Friday was Legs and Back, which I was dreading because I generally hate squats, lunges and other traditional leg work. But the exercises in this one, while definitely squat and lunge variations, were different than others I have tried. They actually got into my bun muscles like they are supposed to do, but which they never actually did for me until this DVD. My good ol' glutes were sore for three days! The leg work is interspersed with pullups of various kinds, and I used the bands like I did in the chest and back program.
Yesterday was a rest day when X Stretch was optional. I did most of it close to midnight last night. It was a good hour long stretch workout, but since Tony has excellent warmup stretching, I had already done most of these stretches during the week. There were also more yoga stretches than I like - after doing 90 minutes just a few days before, I didn't want any more! I think I will probably use Debbie Siebers' Cool It Off stretch instead of this one. That disc come from the Slim Series, also produced by Beachbody. I don't have that whole set, but I do like the stretch a lot. It's also a full hour, and there are not many yoga type stretches in that one - just good old fashioned athletic stretches that get to muscles I didn't know I had!
You are supposed to keep track of your repetitions and the amount of weight you use in each exercise in each strength DVD, and I didn't do that last week - but I used the form today when I did Chest and Back for the second time. I did a total of 151 pushups (6 different kinds) with 40 of those on my toes. I still don't go very deep when I'm on my toes but I am trusting that each week I will be able to get my chest closer to the floor. I am pleased to say that my stomach no longer gets to the floor first when I am doing them on my knees. When I first started exercising that's really what happened!
This afternoon 8 year old Moppet 2 did the first round of Chest and Back himself - he can actually do 2 real pullups, where I can't do any yet! I am glad that at least one member of my family actually shares my interest in exercise.
Another member of my family, 10 month old Moppet 4, has an awful cold and basically has laryngitis...so he is standing here pulling on me, attempting to cry, - but he just sounds like a tiny little lamb three miles away. It is sweet and pathetic...enough to get me to end this here!
Last Thursday, I managed to do all 90 minutes of Yoga X without breaking it up, and I enjoyed that a lot. It was more like power yoga than any yoga I have done in the past, which admittedly is not much. My whole body was sore the next day as if I had done a full body weight workout. My back ached from my shoulders all the way down - definitely caused by spending so much time in downward dog pose! The first 45 minutes of this workout consists of moving postures - you go from one yoga pose to another without much time spent holding each pose; maybe four breaths spent in each one. Then about 5 or 10 minutes of balance postures. I was very pleased to see that I have improved my very bad balance since I first did yoga last year. Now I have moderately bad balance. Then 25 or 30 minutes of floor poses - stretching and ab stuff. My body felt great after doing this one!
On Friday was Legs and Back, which I was dreading because I generally hate squats, lunges and other traditional leg work. But the exercises in this one, while definitely squat and lunge variations, were different than others I have tried. They actually got into my bun muscles like they are supposed to do, but which they never actually did for me until this DVD. My good ol' glutes were sore for three days! The leg work is interspersed with pullups of various kinds, and I used the bands like I did in the chest and back program.
Yesterday was a rest day when X Stretch was optional. I did most of it close to midnight last night. It was a good hour long stretch workout, but since Tony has excellent warmup stretching, I had already done most of these stretches during the week. There were also more yoga stretches than I like - after doing 90 minutes just a few days before, I didn't want any more! I think I will probably use Debbie Siebers' Cool It Off stretch instead of this one. That disc come from the Slim Series, also produced by Beachbody. I don't have that whole set, but I do like the stretch a lot. It's also a full hour, and there are not many yoga type stretches in that one - just good old fashioned athletic stretches that get to muscles I didn't know I had!
You are supposed to keep track of your repetitions and the amount of weight you use in each exercise in each strength DVD, and I didn't do that last week - but I used the form today when I did Chest and Back for the second time. I did a total of 151 pushups (6 different kinds) with 40 of those on my toes. I still don't go very deep when I'm on my toes but I am trusting that each week I will be able to get my chest closer to the floor. I am pleased to say that my stomach no longer gets to the floor first when I am doing them on my knees. When I first started exercising that's really what happened!
This afternoon 8 year old Moppet 2 did the first round of Chest and Back himself - he can actually do 2 real pullups, where I can't do any yet! I am glad that at least one member of my family actually shares my interest in exercise.
Another member of my family, 10 month old Moppet 4, has an awful cold and basically has laryngitis...so he is standing here pulling on me, attempting to cry, - but he just sounds like a tiny little lamb three miles away. It is sweet and pathetic...enough to get me to end this here!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
P90X Day Three
It is really cool to be writing this and simultaneously listening to the streaming Republican National Convention in another tab - not that I'm a Republican, of course :-) Ah, technology...which also brings us home workout DVDs and P90X!
I have made it to Day Three, and am looking forward to Day Four! Although I was afraid of it, I truly enjoyed the plyometric cardio workout yesterday. It was definitely tough, and I had to do the most high impact jumps on my rebounder, and couldn't do all the reps in all the sequences - most of which were only 30 seconds. But I did most of them, and did not feel like I was going to die, and I did not need a bucket to puke in! I was very surprised by how fit I have actually become - I can definitely do things that, if asked, I would probably say I couldn't do. But I did not do nearly as well as the guy with the prosthetic leg.
Today I did the Shoulders and Arms DVD, and once again I appreciated the basic simplicity of the workout. It was very challenging, and had moves I have never seen before, but it was straightforward weight lifting. Each set of exercises focused first on the shoulders, then biceps, then triceps...then the set was repeated and another set began - focused on the same muscles with different exercises. I think there were five sets. I used anywhere from 8-15 lb dumbbells, depending on the exercise. It was nice to see a pretty, fit woman at least my age there with the guys, and Tony kept praising her form (her form doing the exercises, not her "form" if you know what I mean!)
I did Ab Ripper X again, and it was a bit easier this time. It's neat that all the weight DVDs have that workout on the end of the disc since you always use it on the same day, but it also on a separate DVD in case you want to use it as a stand-alone ab routine, even if you are not doing an X rotation.
Tomorrow will be Yoga X, which is a full 90 minutes long. I doubt I can do that in one sitting without needing to tend to Moppet 4. Since Yoga X seems to be the DVD people often like the least in this series, if I don't like it I might substitute a Yoga Zone or something...but since I am really digging Tony (surprisingly) maybe I'll like it and just have to stop at an hour.
Now, off to bed so the microtears in my muscles can repair themselves!
I have made it to Day Three, and am looking forward to Day Four! Although I was afraid of it, I truly enjoyed the plyometric cardio workout yesterday. It was definitely tough, and I had to do the most high impact jumps on my rebounder, and couldn't do all the reps in all the sequences - most of which were only 30 seconds. But I did most of them, and did not feel like I was going to die, and I did not need a bucket to puke in! I was very surprised by how fit I have actually become - I can definitely do things that, if asked, I would probably say I couldn't do. But I did not do nearly as well as the guy with the prosthetic leg.
Today I did the Shoulders and Arms DVD, and once again I appreciated the basic simplicity of the workout. It was very challenging, and had moves I have never seen before, but it was straightforward weight lifting. Each set of exercises focused first on the shoulders, then biceps, then triceps...then the set was repeated and another set began - focused on the same muscles with different exercises. I think there were five sets. I used anywhere from 8-15 lb dumbbells, depending on the exercise. It was nice to see a pretty, fit woman at least my age there with the guys, and Tony kept praising her form (her form doing the exercises, not her "form" if you know what I mean!)
I did Ab Ripper X again, and it was a bit easier this time. It's neat that all the weight DVDs have that workout on the end of the disc since you always use it on the same day, but it also on a separate DVD in case you want to use it as a stand-alone ab routine, even if you are not doing an X rotation.
Tomorrow will be Yoga X, which is a full 90 minutes long. I doubt I can do that in one sitting without needing to tend to Moppet 4. Since Yoga X seems to be the DVD people often like the least in this series, if I don't like it I might substitute a Yoga Zone or something...but since I am really digging Tony (surprisingly) maybe I'll like it and just have to stop at an hour.
Now, off to bed so the microtears in my muscles can repair themselves!
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