Just A Man And His Will To Survive- a fitness blog

Coming Back....Soon???

2010-05-19T22:33:00.002-04:00

OK....so it's been a really long time since I've been on here. Long story short- I got hurt (badly). but not the ankle from the last post. That injury cleared up after a week or two. I got hurt 2 weeks before the half-marathon in a soccer game. I completely rupture my planteris muscle (smaller muscle in the calk), partially tore the gastroc (big muscle in the calk), and strained my achilles. So, the half-mary never happened. I was pissed to say the least.

So, I've been in PT ever since trying to get better. I was cleared last Friday to resume running (but no more then a mile) and to play soccer (I'm a goalie so limited running involved). I've made it through two indoor games unscathed so far. I'm still very tight and tender in certain spots, but it has held up so far. If all goeas as planned, I will have my last PT session next week and then will be discharged back to no restrictions.

So, I will then be looking at the schedule and figuring out what I want to do next. News to come....

Rest Time

2010-03-08T22:44:00.002-05:00

So, after my run this weekend, something was not right with my ankle/foot. At first I didn't notice it. However, as Saturday afternoon became Saturday evening, my ankle started throbbing. It was strange. It felt like I had sprained or twisted my ankle. Yet I don't remember doing anything like that on my run. I started icing it and wrapping it in hopes of getting it to feel better, as I had a soccer tournament on Sunday.

I woke up Sunday morning, and the ankle still hurt just as bad. Determined not to let my friend, andrew, down, I decided to suck it up, wrap it, take some tylenol, and play through the pain. I iced a few times in the morning, and then drove up to Pennsylvania to play some indoor soccer.

At the tournament, I was pretty worried about the ankle. I had taken about 6 extra-strengthtylenols, yet the pain was still as strong. Luckily, at the tournament, they had a Certified Athletic Trainer there to help with injuries, etc. I spoke with him before our first game. I showed him where the pain was and told him about my 6 mile run. He asked me if I was wearing new shoes (no). then he asked if I had changed surfaces....BINGO. After a month of doing nothing but running on asphalt, I did my 6 mile run on hard pack, dirt, and rocks on the local trail. I didn't even think about this....I'm an idiot. The guy taped my ankle, explained to me what was going on with this one tendon in my ankle, and told me to rest it. So, of course I played in the tournament all day. and played pretty well too. Once the juices started flowing, I didn't feel the pain as much. It didn't reall impact my mobility. It did however impact my kicking- as every ball strike felt like someone was jabbing an ice pick into my ankle. Finsihed up the day, and headed home.

So, I have decided to give myself a 2-3 day break. This week was on the lighter side running-wise as the schedule called for a 5k this weekend. So the rest could do me some good. I'm also going to take a day or two off of P90x, since I don't want to put any strain on the ankle so it heals. Hopefully this will do the trick and I will be "bringing it" soon again....

6 Mile Run and updates....

2010-03-06T22:56:00.002-05:00

Wow! My week got crazy in a hurry. And no rest for the weary as the rest of the month is looking to be one for the record books. Between work and family, I've been a busy boy. But, it doesn't mean I haven't been working out- just not updating the blog.....Im a slacker....

Anyway, this week I did the best I could in terms of workouts/running. I was REALLY sore after the run and plyo combo. I took the next day off. Then I did a hard 2 mile run combined with the P90X workout for Back and Biceps. Then I missed a day due to another work thing. Which brings us to today.

The running schedule called for a 6 mile run today. I debated long and hard about it. On the one hand, I'm playing in a soccer tournament on sunday all day and was worried about being sore/fatigued. On the other hand, it was our first really beautiful day in months (sunny and 52 degrees), I could run on the trail for the first time in a month, and I was worried about falling too far behind in my half marathon training. So, I decided I would try and run it, but take it at a really easy pace.

Hit the trail, and I am not sure what happened. Part of it is that the beginning of the trail is all downhill. And I guess part of it was just me being a meathead and/or being pumped about the great weather (I got to wear shorts!), but I took off at a pretty fast pace. How fast? Well, I ran the first two miles in about 16:30- which is rediculous for me right now. But then reality hit- hard.

I had never been out on a lot of this trail before. When I started running it was when I was first starting my program. So I was only running 1 or 2 miles. This trail is 3.3 miles from end to end. So, I used to run out a mile, turn around and run back. And while there were some hills on this part, I had no idea how big the hills were later in the trail. As I was running today, I started to notice some signs for "steep hills ahead". They weren't kidding. These hills were almost a 30 degree incline or more in spots. Unbelievable! I literally hung on for dear life the rest of my run. I finsihed the 6 miles in 1:01:29. Still just over10 minute miles. I guess I should be happy, but I'm actually pissed. If I hadn't hit it so hard at the beginning, I may have had more in the tank later for the hills and probably would have made it in under 10 min/mile. Oh wel- live and learn.

I'm heading to Pennsylvania for an indoor soccer tournament with my buddy tomorrow. We'll have at least 3 games, and more if we make the playoffs. Can't wait to see how sore I am tomorrow. I've been icing my knee and other areas of soreness. Hopefully, I'll be fine, but we'll see.

4 Mile Run & Plyo

2010-03-02T19:49:00.004-05:00

Hi guys and girls! Sorry I've been unable to post for the last few days. I'm hitting a busy period for work. Anyway, I'm still on track with the workouts- no slacking off for me!

Sunday I rested for the most part. I had an indoor soccer game that night, so I got a bit of a sweat on. But we blew the other team out, so I didn't have to do too much.

Monday, I started week 5 of P90X. I had the Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps workout to do. I forgot what a killer workout that is! It hits you hard and often. It seems like the longest video ever- but you finish and you feel great. I pushed it hard and got some great burns in my muscles. finished up with the Ab Ripper. After a week off for the recovery week, it was nice to hit my abs again. they needed the shock- and boy was it ever a shock. I felt like I was going to puke during the Fifer Scissors. Then I headed to another indoor soccer game. I was much busier and got a great workout during the game.

Today, the schedule for running called for a 4 mile run. I basically swapped the cross training and 4 mile run days on the schedule (yesterday and today). So I had my run to get in this afternoon. We have another wintery storm moving in right now. I had to try and get my run in before it got too messy. The beginning of the storm is supposed to be just rain, and that's what I dealt with on my run. It was all I could do to run in the rain. I was NOT motivated. But I sucked it up and got out there. I again decided to hide my timer so I could just grit my teeth and bang out the run. Much to my surprise- another personal best. I did the 4 miles in 39:26. That's my first sub-10:00 mile pace run since I started. And it was strange. After I finished, I didn't even feel like I had run that fast. I really felt I could go out and do more. It's awesome.

Finished up my day with the Plyo workout for P90X. Boy did that kick my ass. I did the modified, low-impact versions of everything, and I skipped the bonus stuff at the end. I'm going to be hurting tomorrow! Oh well, you gotta bring it!

5 Mile Run

2010-02-27T16:55:00.003-05:00

Hello all! Feeling good right now. Just got done watching some college lacrosse after my 5 mile run. Yep, today' schedule called for a 5 mile run. Having done this same distance last weekend, I was interested to see how I would do. Last week was a struggle. I got through it (in better time then I thought I would). But it was tough and I had trouble running with my water belt, etc.

Today was much better. To begin with, I wore the hydration belt differently. I had the bottle on my hip (like a holstered gun) instead of in the small of my back. It was much easier to take out while running. I also refused to look at my Garmin again until I knew I had to be close to the mileage I wanted. This let me just get lost in my music and have my mind wander a bit. It was much better. My first glance at the Garmin came at 4.16 miles. NICE!

My time was much better then before- which again was surprising. For some reason, my left foot hurt for the first mile or two. So I thought I was running slower. Add to that we still have those strong wind gusts, and I felt for sure I wouldn't run fast...but I was wrong. Time was 51:12 for my 5 miles. Not as fast as I ultimately want to run, but a far cry from the 14-15 minute miles when I was starting!

I also wore sunglasses while running today. It was mostly cloudy, though the sun did peek out from time to time. but what I found was it was really helpful in keeping my eyes from watering when the cold wind blew in my face. It was a big help actually- mostly from a morale issue!

Anyway, schedule is a stretch and strengthen day tomorrow. But for P90X it's an off day. I will probably do X Stretch to loosen up a bit. Plus I have an indoor soccer game tomorrow night, so I'll get a little sweat on there too.

3.5 Mile Run

2010-02-25T22:11:00.002-05:00

Well, the snow didn't come...yet. It looks like we got somewhat lucky. The storm veered off the ciast and missed us. But they say it is wrapping back around and will end up hitting us tonight and tomorrow, dumping 3-6" on us by end of day tomorrow. Not that bad considering what we got recently, and what we could have gotten today. But the high, hurricane-force winds are still a real threat. And boy were they gusting already today!

So, I got home from work today and decided to try and get my run in with the little daylight I had left. The schedule called for 3.5 miles today. I hit the roads and knew right away it was going to be a tough run. the wind was blowing hard. It made running difficult at times as it was like a wall you had to run through. It sucked. It was also very cold, cutting through you like a knife and making my eyes water. Miserable!

Due to that my mindset changed right away. I said to myself, "I'm going to go slow. Just get through the run and don't worry about your time/pace.". So I decided not to look at my time on the watch. i covered it with my sleeve and didn't look at it- I just ran. When I started getting close to the distance (roughly) I thought I needed, I snuck a peek at the bottom of my Garmin to verify mileage- not looking at time. When I finally finished, I figured my time was going to be pretty bad- rough weatherand all. to my surprise, it was the fastest time for me at 3.5 miles yet. I did it in almost 36 minutes flat. When I did 3.5 miles before, the best I did was just over 37. I was amazed because my pace didn't seem near as fast as that one, yet my time was better- and that was with running into the wind a lot (espeically on a lot of the uphills-sucked!). So, I guess I'm getting a little faster. I still don't really care about my times right now, but it's always fun to see the little incremental improvements along the way!

2 Mile Run

2010-02-24T23:23:00.002-05:00

Hello all. sorry for the absence from the blog. My schedule has been a bit crazy the last few days. I am working on soem big projects for work. As such, time has been limited to do much.

In fact, I missed any/all workouts yesterday. I literally was busy from roughly 6am until midnight working on different things. So, tonight I went for the 2 mile run I missed yesterday. It was all I had time to squeeze in. Since this is also a recovery week for P90X, I don't feel bad about only one workout today. My body is a little beat up right now anyway. Hopefully I can get back on track shortly.

We are also bracing for another winter storm here in Baltimore. They are saying this storm will look liek a hurricane on radar and will bring hurricane strength wind gusts along with a decent amount of snow. We won't get hit with the 2 foot snow we had the last two times (each). But they are saying 8-14". Trust me- no fun. Especially when we still have at least 6" on the ground left over from the double blizzards from 2 weeks ago. Thsi sucks. I'm especially worried about losing power wit the high winds. It's really cold and I have 2 small children at home. I don't want to have to wrap them in a bunch of blankets to keep them from becomng popcicles! Also, I am concerned about the impact more snow will have on my ability to run.....so pray that we get the lighter side of the totals!!!

3.5 Mile Run and Yoga

2010-02-22T19:54:00.003-05:00

Hello all. I've seen a little spike in traffic since Jeff pimped me on his site. So welcome to any new faces out there. Your words of encouragement are very appreciated!

Today, my half marathon schedule called for a 3.5 mile run. I was on the fence about getting out there to run because another storm system has moved in. Lucky for us, no snow this time. This one decided to dump sleet and freezing rain instead (fun!). It had just started when I got home from work today. I sat there looking at it trying to convince myself to go out and run. It seemed to be letting up a little, so I talked my self into running by saying I could squeeze in at least 2 miles before it started to get heavy and before the sunset.

I ran up to our bedroom, layered up the cold gear, grabbed the Garmin and the iPod and hit the road. Just my luck- it started sleeting heavily. It was all I could do to not stop during the first few minutes. It was cold, wet, sleet was hitting me hard in the face (and eyes). In short- it sucked. But after the first half mile, it seemed to lighten up again and I decided to keep going. At the 2 mile mark, I told myself not to be a wuss and that I was already out in it and wet, so why not just do the last 1.5 miles? So I did.

One thing I didn't do was look at my watch timer at all. I figured with the bad weather, I would be happy just getting it done- no matter the pace. However, when I stopped, I was shocked to see I had run those 3.5miles faster then any of my previous times at that distance. I am quite happy because I'm still seeing some real progress each and every time out. Baby steps I know, but encouraging nonetheless.

The P90X schedule calls for a recovery week this week as it is week 4. Today was Yoga. I'm short on time, so I only did the Warrior section at the start (1st half of the DVD). Still it was enough to get me sweating heavily again and reminded me how farI have yet to go to get back into shape.

5 Mile Run

2010-02-21T14:52:00.002-05:00

Saturday was a scheduled 5 miles run. this followed a 40 minute cross training on Friday. So, let me start there.

Friday I decided to use the Kenpo X DVD for my P90X as my cross train. And I switched the legs and back workout to Saturday. I tried to push myself during the Kenpo to keep my heart rate up as high as I could. I figured it would be a good way to push my cardio base without pounding on my legs by running. Got a great workout in. Felt good and it als helped with osme of the soreness from my heaviest training week so far.

Saturday, I saw the running schedule called for a 5 miles run. I was quite nervous as this would be the longest I have ever run (4 miles last weekend was the record for me so far). I got a little bit of a break as the weather was awesome- well, awesome in comparison to what we've had recently. It was in the low 40's and really sunny. So, instead of 3 layers, I only put on 2 layers of gear, plus I didn't wear my hit or gloves. However, knowing that this run would probably take me over 45 minutes, I decided to take some hydration out with me as well as a GU gel pack. I didn't want to hit a wall while running.

Overall, I felt pretty good about the run. I managed to do this run in 54:10. So I was able to keep my mile paces under 11:00. Which for me is huge. Just a few weeks ago, I was struggling with 14-15:00 miles. I'm seeing improvement every time, which is positive. My only issues with the run were these:

1) I have to get used to running with a hydration belt and how to drink and run at the same time. The weight of the water bottle on my backside made me feel awkward while running. I really thought about it a lot in the first mile. And, to take my first drink (after abotu2.5 miles), I had to stop quickly to get it out, take a drink, and put it back in.

2) I have to get used to eating the GU gel while running. My hands were so sweaty, I had trouble getting the pack open and eating it. I ended up stopping quickly to do this. I'm sure this will come with practice.

3) I need to find the right thing to use as my liquid hydration. For today's run I mixed up a batch of P90X recovery drink. Normally, after a hard workout, I drink this stuff. And it tastes SO GOOD. but between the platic taste of my waterbottle, and the thickness of the liquid, it just wasn't a good fit for my run. It was fine after- just not during. I picked up some of the GU hydration drink mix as well as some Propel mix and I am going to test them out during my runs to see what I like best.

Anyway, today is sunday and I'm taking a rest day. I am not as sore as I was right after the run. When the run ended, I felt like I needed a nap! And my legs were pretty tight. Grabbed a shower and stayed in it a while just relaxing! So I thought I'd be sore today. but I really am not. Which is a good sign I think. It shows my body is adapting well to the extra work.

Shoulders and Arms

2010-02-19T09:11:00.002-05:00

Got in a shoulders and arms workout last night. i have a lot of stuff going on with work right now. Much of it is pretty stressful. So it's really dominating my thoughts at the current time. As such, my focus duing my workout was lacking. I did the best I could and tried to do as much as I can. I still felt like I got a good workout in, so I guess it was ok.

I also had a late soccer game last night (11pm). We had no subs and the other team had two full lineups. It was fun! We ended up winning 6-3. I was pretty damn busy in goal. Since we had no subs my guys got pretty tired. Ususally, I would have had some trouble in this kind of game- especially beforeI started working out again. I would have gotten tired pretty quickly and had trouble making saves at the end of the game. But since I've been running and working out (and dropping weight), I felt good all game long. And it showed. I was on fire. I was damn tough to beat. And the other team had two former pro indoor players on the field- including one who just quit and is young (25). If I hadn't been in the process of getting fit, I bet I wouldn't have had the game I did.

Speaking of weight, it is amazing how fast I'm dropping weight. When I started this P90X round with the half marathin traiing, I was the heaviest I've ever been. I weighed 218 lbs. This morning, I weighed 205.5 and I haven't even completed 3 whole weeks of training! When I finished P90X last time, I weighed 197.5 lbs. So, I'm not that far away from thatlaready after 3 weeks. I don't expect to keep up this pace in terms of weight loss, but it's exciting for me!

3.5 mile Run

2010-02-17T22:55:00.002-05:00

Hi there! Quick post as I'm tapped and need to hit the sack. I did a 2 mile run yesterday (per the running schedule). I pushed it hard (for me) and ran my fastest back to back miles since college. Of course- I wasn't even close to my time from college, but considering my lack of running experience, and my lack of overall fitness right now, I'll take it.

Today I got in a 3.5 mile run as called for in my half marathin training schedule. I got it done in a fairly good pace. this was especially challenging considering the strong wind we had today due to a small storm system coming through. It made it pretty cold too- about 25 degrees. Lungs were burning all run.

I was supposed to do shoulders and arms today too, but I'm wiped from an all day meeting. so I'm going to bump it to tomorrow.

Chest & Back plus 3.5 Mile Run

2010-02-15T21:09:00.002-05:00

Hello! thanks for stopping by. Today was the start of week 3 for my combined P90X plus half marathin training. So far, in the past two weeks, I've dropped 10 pounds, and I'm always hungry. I forgot how good it feels to be this active!

Today was a scheduled chest and back workout. I brought it pretty well- especially consideringi had already run and I got little sleep last night as my wife was not feeling well. I was especially pleased with my performance on ab ripper. I actually made it through all the reps on all the exercises for the first time this round. A small accomplishment- but a tough one (which you know all too well if you've ever done P90X).

Today's run schedule called for a 3.5 mile run. I went out over lunch to knock out my run because they were calling for more snow in the late afternoon and tonight. so, I wanted to get the miles in while I could. I ran a similiar route to what I did on Saturday's 4 mile run, just cut a few things short to keep it to 3.5 miles. I was pretty pleased with my time, as I was just about the same, maybe even a little faster then my 4 miles pace from Saturday. Regardless, I'm making slow but steady progress in a lot of areas.

Schedule tomorrow calls for a plyo day for the "X" and the run schedule is 2 mile run or cross train. Depending on the weather, I may do the plyo or I may do both. We'll have to see. On Wednesday I'll be at a salesmeeting/training all day. In fact, I'm staying at a hotel Tuesday night so I don't have to get up and drive Wednesday. So, I'm going to get up early at the hotel and try and get my 3.5 miles on Wednesday done on their hotel treadmill. It will be my first time on a treadmill, ?so I'll see what it's like. The good news is I'll be able to get my run in regardless of weather that day AND I can run in shorts!

4 Miles

2010-02-14T15:54:00.002-05:00

Decided to try and get a run in yesterday, since it's been about a week since my last one. That half marathon isn't going away, so I need to put the miles in. Strapped on all my cold gear, added some layers, grapped the iPod and my Garmin, and hit the road. Schedule called for 4 miles.

It was an interesting run. I couldn't run on the sidewalks because a lot of people never cleared them after our back to back blizzards last week. So, I was stuck running on the snow-narrowed roads. I stayed in my neighborhood and tried to run in as many of the little courts, etc as I could to avoid as many cars as possible.

This was an interesting run because I've never run more then 3 miles at one time. But I cam through it with shining colors! In fact, I ran 4 miles almost as fast in total minutes as I did on my last 3 mile run! I just had a better pace. also, another big difference was that I ran during the day vs at night. At night I tend to run slower because of the visibility issues, etc. I don't want to bust my ass! So on this run I could see everything and was able to run at a better pace.

Taking off today, as it's a scheduled rest day for both P90X and the runningschedule. then back at it tomorrow for a 3.5 mile run. We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow night and tuesday (at least another 6"). So, I want to try and get my run in before it starts if I can.

Shoulders & Arms

2010-02-11T23:24:00.002-05:00

Quick post tonight as I have to hit the sack for an early morning. Missed yesterday's workout due to the second blizzard and all the associated shoveling, etc. I honestly was just worn out from the 20" of new snow we got on top of the 30" we already had. It's just nuts!

Did the Shoulders & Arms workout from yesterday this evening. I had trouble "bringing it" tonight. Lots of stuff going on with work, etc made my mind wonder a lot. Did my best and got through it. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more focus. Anyway, gotta get osme sleep. I have an early case in the morning.

Plyometrics...and a Blizzard!

2010-02-10T00:44:00.003-05:00

Yep- a blizzard is hitting the Baltimore area for the 2nd time in 5 days. RE-DONK-U-LOUS! Pisses me off as the roads were just startign to get passable today. Now we're going to get 14-20" more and we'll be stuck for another few days. What a waste of time. And I'm going stir-crazy. I left the house today for work, even though almost all the docs offices were closed- just because I had to get out! FREEDOM! I may not last another few days of this!

Anyway, since running is effectively out of the equiation for the time being, I hit up the Plyometrics workout for my one and only workout today. Broke a great sweat. Tony always kicks your ass during this. I still hate Dominic as much as I ever did- probably more right now since I'm not fit. He's a jumping bean that guy!

going to be another snow-filled day tomorrow. They said it will snow all of our daylight hours. So, looks like another P90X workouit alone tomorrow. I cantwait to get back out there and run too!

Chest & Back...and SNOW!

2010-02-08T22:49:00.003-05:00

Well....things have been a little crazy since my last post. On saturday, the baltimore area got hit with a massive blizzard. I got 30" here at my house starting Friday afternoon and ending Satursday night. It's crazy! I spent a large portion of Friday night shoveling, yet it made no difference when I came out Saturday. Thank God I have a bad-ass snowblower. Ate that snow right up. I had to rescue some neighbors too. We didn't see a plow until sunday night and the shools have been closed MOnday-Wednesday. Why that long? Well, besides the fact that there are still plenty of secondary roads they haven't been able to plow yet, we're about to get hit with another storm. Yep- in fact, they are forecasting another blizzard. We are deadcenter in it's path and they expect us to get the heaviest accumulations. Current forecasts are 16-20" of snow starting Tuesday night and going through Wednesday. I have no idea where they are going to put all this snow. Two blizzards in one WEEK???? Unbelievable!

So, my workout schedule got a little screwed up this weekend. After doing so much shoveling and snowblowing Friday and Saturday, I was too tired to workout Saturday. Trust me- I got a workout in! Plus, with so many of the sidewalks covered in 2.5' of snow, running is pretty tough. I did get my chest and back and ab ripper in today. And I'm looking forward to Plyometrics tomorrow. Not sure how/when I'm going to make up the running for my half marathin trainiing- but I'll figure it out. I'm just going to have to work my ass off in the plyo tomorrow to make sure the cardio is effective.

Legs & Back

2010-02-05T23:30:00.002-05:00

Well, here's the understatement of the year- it's snowing! I mean SNOWING! We get snow in Baltimore, but I've never seen a winter this bad. This strom is a monster of a Noreaster, and it will be the 2nd blizzard (yes blizzard- heavy snow with 30+mph wind) of the season. I've already shoveled once and am getting ready to do it again before bed. I'm trying to make a small dent in what I anticipate will be a major dig out tomorrow. They say the heaviest snow is getting ready to start right now and will last all night and into tomorrow with snow falling at 1-2" PRE HOUR! This sucks.

Anyway, the running workout today called for a 30 minute cross training. So I just decided to do the full Legs & Back workout for P90X (since it's that day for P90X). Got a good workout in. I didn't push it with the leg stuff. I didn't use any weights for those moves. I don't want to burn my legs out knowing I'll be logging a lot of miles over the next 80+ days. Ab Ripper continues to kick my ass. On a positive note, I stepped on the scale this mornignand am down 5lbs since last week. So- 1 week of P90X and half marathon training equals a 5lb loss. Not too shabby. I don't expect to keep that pace up. but I'll take it for now!

Off to go shovel again. Then I'll be playing with my snowblower all day tomorrow!

Rest Day?

2010-02-04T23:51:00.002-05:00

OK- so running wise this day was a scheduled rest day. P90X wise this day was Yoga. I scrapped the Yoga and played indoor soccer for an hour instead. A lot more fun in my opinion.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a 30 minute cross train. Saturday is supposed to be 4 miles. I'm not sure what I'm going to do because of the impending blizzard. My plan is this(I think):

Friday- Legs & Back and Ab Ripper (P90X)
Saturday- Kenpo X (P90X)
Sunday- 4 mile run plus chest and back (P90X)

Sunday is a "stretch and strengthen" day on the running schedule. so I think I will push the run to then since the snow will be over and the roads shouldbe plowed by then.

Shoulders & Arms and a 3 Mile Run

2010-02-03T23:10:00.002-05:00

Today was shoulders and arms (plus ab ripper) for my P90X workout. I have always liked this workout. You get to pump up your guns a bit. It's just fun- plus no pull ups which is always a good thing! After a very long day filled with lots of travel all over Maryland, I got home and pudhed play on this workout. For as drained as I was from my day, and how sore I still am from the start of the week, I felt like I got a pretty good workout.

After putting the kids to bed and watching American Idol (don't judge me) with my wife, it was time for my run. Today the schedule said 3 miles. so, I layerd up, grabbed the iPod and hit the pavement. We had about 4 inches of snow overnight, and I discovered my newest running pet peeve this evening- peope who don't clear their damn sidewalks!

Seriously- what is the deal with this? night runs are dangerous enough without having to run over ice and snow that someone was too lazy to get off their ass and clear. Just wait until I slip and fall- I'm going to own that person's home!

I might as well get used to this kind of running. We are ALREADY under a winter storm watch for a doozy of a storm that is supposed to hit us in two days. Yes- they think this storm is going to be so bad, they put a watch out two days ahead of time. Right before Christmas, we got ht with a blizzard that dumped about 2 feet of snow on us. They are saying this storm is goingto be just as bad. Initial forecasts are calling for 14-22" or more with the heaviest concentrations being right where we live. FANTASTIC! So, I may have to juggle my training schedule around this weekend until the roads are clear, etc. At leastI can still do P90X!

2 Mile Run

2010-02-02T22:25:00.002-05:00

Today was a scheduled 2 mile run or cross train. It was also a plyo day on P90X. In an effort to save my legs, I decided (this week anyway), to do one or the other.

I got home from work, looked outside and it looked ok. It looked cold- but ok. they were calling for a winter storm to hit us sometime this evening, that would bring us 3-6" of snow. I strapped on my cold gear and my iPod, and walked out the front door. As I stood there waiting for my garmin to locate satellites, the snow started to fall. So, I took off to try and get my run in before the streets and sidewalks got too slippery.

It was kind of fun/cool to run in the snow. As I ran, the snow kept gaining intensity. By the last half mile, snow was really getting in my eyes, nose, and mouth- so it was good I only had to do 2 miles. But it made for a really cool experience, and I must say I rather enjoyed it. I actually ran 2.24 miles to be exact! ; )

Tomorrow is a scheduled 3 mile run. Plus I have a strength workout for P90X. Hopefully, the streets and sidewalks will be clear enough to run safely. If not, it will be a very slow run for me!

Chest and Back plus 3 Mile Run

2010-02-01T22:32:00.002-05:00

Well, my insane training just kicked off today. I had taken a few days off to recharge my body after the initial shock of starting running and worn off. But today, my insane marriage of half marathon training plus P90X was consumated!

After work, I came home and decided to "push play". So I popped in tony Horton's chest and Back workout. Boy, it kicked my ass. It's been a while. I am weaker then I was before- dramatically. But I did my best and got through everything.

After that it was Ab ripper X time! God- what a bear. Kicked my ass and pounded me into submission. my old nemesis the Pfifer Scissors and the Mason Twists really did a number on me. I was reduced to a fat, sweaty tub of lard on a yoga mat by the end.

Pounded a recovery drink and then had some dinner. I watched House (excellent show FYI) and then decided it was time for my run. the schedule called for 3 miles. I was a little nervous because I haven't really run much past 2.5. but I did fine- slow but fine. I took it really easy. It was very dark tonight (lots of clouds) so visibility was an issue. Plus we still have snow and ice on the ground, so I wanted to make sure I didn't bust my ass! I set off with one of my iPods and hit the street. I got into one of those "trances" while running tonight. My mind got lost in the music and in my thoughts. next thing I knew- it was 3 miles! I think I could have run 5. I pounded another recovery drink and called it a nihgt. Not a bad first day! Plus- I ate clean today too, so it was a positive first step.

2 mile Run

2010-01-27T22:16:00.002-05:00

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday. Ran 2 miles in the brutal cold on the local trail. It's the first time I actually averaged less then 10 minutes per mile. a small step in the right direction.

Today was supposed to be a 2 mile run. I was going to go out tonight to get the run in, but I'm having some serious stomach (gastro) issues. So, since tomorrow was a scheduled rest day, I'm going to swap them.

I'm watching this rediculous State of The Union right now. i can't believe he's been speaking for over an hour and has really said NOTHING! Killing me right now....

2.6 Mile Run

2010-01-25T22:53:00.002-05:00

Hello! After a hard weekend of partying it up with some work boys, I was back in training today. I am pissed because I missed my run on Saturday, and was too hungover Sunday to mkae it up. But, considering I've been a virtual couch potato since the summer, my body actually did ok with the extra day off.

So, today's scheduled run was a 2.5 mile run. i actually ran 2.6 (little extra). I felt ok. IT was a tough run for a few reasons:

1) I'm tired. I got 4 hours of sleep Saturday night. 6 last night. So, I'm a little light on sleep and my body wasn't in prime condition for a run. But I pushed through it anyway.

2) I'm dehydrated. After drinking all Saturday night (alcohol), I'm still a bit dehydrated. Most experts say it takes 48 hours for alcohol to be completely flushed out of your system and to stop effecting your body. So, since I'm not a full two days removed, my body wasn't firing on all circuits.

3) It was rainy and super windy. We are having some serious weather in the Baltimore area right now. Heavy (but sporadic) rain showers combined with 50 mph wind gusts. During my run it didn't rain. It was humid- but no rain. but the streets/roads, etc were really wet and slippery. But the wind was blowing. It was like running with someone holding you back with a rope around your waist. fun times!

I ran a new route that took me out of my neighborhood. And for a half mile, there was no sidewalk. since it was poorly lit and very dark, I had to run on the grass along the road. It was dangerous! It was quite muddy in spots and I came back with some seriously soaked feet. It also contributed to a pretty slow pace since I had to really concentrate on the ground below me.

One other little pet peeve of mine- what's up with people who let there dogs out with no fence and no leash? I almost ran ver some random dog. I think I scared it and I think it considered biting me. I would have been BITTER if that had happened. People- LEASH YOUR DAMN DOGS!!!

20 Minute Run

2010-01-22T20:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a "rest day". By rest, I mean I didn't run. However, I did have another indoor soccer game, so I got an hour of activity in. Burned a few calories. Bad news is that in the course of diving around, I brusied up my knees. They were sore today when I ran.

Today's schedule called for 20 minutes of cross training. Since I'm trying to get miles on my feet, I decided just to go for a 20 minute run. I went over to my favorite trail (Ma & Pa), but did something a little different. There is one branch that goes up to an old mansion that was built by one of the first big docs at Johns Hopkins. There was also a railway nearby that he would take down to the hospital everyday. This was back in the late 1800's early 1900s.

It was cool to see a little history and some slightly new scenery. The bad news- the trail that leads to the mansion is up a very steep, very long hill. KILLER. So, in my 20 minutes I only covered 1.85 miles. BecauseI was at a snail's pace going up the damn hill! Anyway, feeling good- tired, but good. Tomorrow is a 2 mile run. Then I'm out on the town with 2 guys from work for a night themed, "beers and boobs". We are going to get dinner, start drinking, and hit a bunch of strip clubs. We even have a hotel downtown so none of us tries to drive home drunk. Gonna be a good time!

2 (+) miles and Soccer

2010-01-20T23:24:00.002-05:00

Busy day today. Lots going on with work, etc. Had an early indoor soccer game (6:30 pm). So, I decided I would go for my run after the game.

Game was tight. I think we won like 6-4. I am a goalie, os I don't run that much. Though in indoor you'd be surprised. I end up having to do a lot of quick sprints to cut off fast breaks, etc. Anyway, my team plays little to no defense, so I seea lot of shots. I get beat up pretty good! Regardless, broke a good sweat.

Went and signed my son up for lacrosse. Registration was tonight. He's in the 4-6 clinic. so they wear all the gear and learn the basics. Maybe play some games. But it's for fun- nothing serious. Got home about 8. Put the kids in bed and went for my run.

The warm weather has GONE! 32 degrees outside and a light breeze. Strapped on my coldgear and my iPod and went running in my neighborhood. Today was supposed to be 2 miles. I did 2.25. Felt pretty good, though I felt like my feet took a pounding on the pavement vs. the trail I normally run on. But anyway, i got through it just fine. with one minor problem- my iPod locked up for some reason ith about .75 miles to go. I was pissed. I need my tunes dude!

2 mile (+) run

2010-01-19T23:18:00.002-05:00

Today was a scheduled 2 mile run or cross train. As I need to build up my base, I decided to run.

Another balmy 55 degree dya. So I packed up my stuff and headed over to the Ma and Pa trail for my run. Weather is supposed to turn cold again very soon, so I want to take advantage of the shorts weather while I can!

Set out to do 2 miles- ended up doing 2.38. And my pace was the fastest I've had since I started. I know I'll have good days and bad days- butI'm happy I had a better time. Hopefully I will see some drastic improvements over the coming months with deidcated training, etc.

Also- quick shout out to Scott Brown, the Senator-elect in MA! Really impressive man who ran a great race. He's very honest, opem, and I like his position on a number of issues. I hope he makes an immediate impact in Washington. If he does- this guy could be one to watch in the future for the GOP.....

2 mile run

2010-01-18T15:49:00.002-05:00

Happy monday! I tok advantage of a downright balmy (for January) 54 degree day here and got a run in this afternnon. knocked out 2 miles. Got a cramp after a mile (very poor hydration during the day). Stretched it out and knocked out the other mile.

I even threw a nice kick in at the end for the last quarter mile. Heart was racing and lungs were burning. But it felt good. Walked for a bit then decided to do another small sprint- so I actually ran over 2 miles (barely). regardless, it was a nice workout.

I have an indoor soccer game tonight, so I should have some time to ice and rest before the game tonight. Also, I have decided I really like running on this local trail and will do my best to try and run on it as much as possible- weather and schedule permitting. It's just so much easier on my knees and feet. And it's scenic and I don't have to worry about cars, etc.

2 Mile Run

2010-01-16T12:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Saturday!

Today marks the end of my first week of training. It has been tough on me. I started this week in quite possibly the worst shape of my life. I'm talking, I was back to as bad as I was pre-P90X. A mounting injury list coupled with bad eating and feeling sorry for myself got me inthis situation. So, I'm quite happy I made it through this first week.

Today was supposed to be a 1.5 mile run. When I woke up today, we were blessed with some unseasonably mild weather in the Baltimore area for this time of year. It's roughly 45 degrees right now and sunny. So, I put on shorts (no cold gear running pants today), a cold gear top, grabbed my Garmin and my iPod and headed for the Ma nad Pa trail for my run.

The Ma and Pa trail is a really nice State Park and trail and it's around the corner from my house. It is packed gravel and is all through the woods. It has two sections that will one day be connected. Right now, the section by my house runs 4 miles. the other one is 1.7 miles. and it will add another 3-4 miles to connect them.

Anyway, I started out running my 1.5 miles. But, between the nice weather, and my overall feeling (feeling good), I decided to push myself and see if I could make it 2 miles. and I did. Now granted, I was moving at a snails pace. And it was wet and muddy as all the remianing ice and snow were melting, but I did it. And without stopping. I know this is a long journey, so I have to celebrate the little accomplishments along the way. I have full confidence that as my fitness improves, and my weight goes down, I will see my pace picking up.

Tomorrow is a stretch and strengthen day. I'm planning on getting up and doing the P90X Yoga workout. Have a great weekend! Go colts!

PS: Not a Colts fan- I'm a Steelers fan. and I HATE the Ravens. So...go ANYONE WHO PLAYS THE RAVENS!

Cross Train Day

2010-01-15T22:33:00.001-05:00

Today wasa scheduled 20 minute cross train. Tis means I coulddo basically anything for 20 minutes. So, I decided to stay in the house and do 20 minutes of an Insanity workout.

So, I just finsihed up. I'm dripping with sweat. My legs are burning. I'm going to puke. good workout.....

Tomorrow is a 1.5 mile run. I'm planning on knocking it out in the morning. Hopefully I can get my lazy ass out of bed!

Mile Run

2010-01-13T22:23:00.002-05:00

Another day and another mile. actually, this was a mile and a quarter. and my feet felt pretty good. I'm easing bck into this running thing.

I've also decided that I need to kick my fitness into high gear. so, when I start my actual half marahon training on January 31st, I'm also starting P90X. Between the two, I should drop a lot of weight and get crazy fit!

FYI- starting all this in January in one of the coldest winters in a long time- not so fun! The cold SUCKS!

Day 3- 1 mile run

2010-01-12T20:59:00.002-05:00

So, 3 days in a row now! It's a habit!

At least I hope it becomes one. I'm trying to shock my body back into running mode. That is a slow painful process. I'm taking it a mile at a time. In fact, my plan for the first 3 weeks (before I tackle the Hal Higdon Half Program) is somethign like this:

Week 1:

Sun: 1 mile, Mon: 1 mile, Tues: 1 mile, Wed: 1 mile, Thurs: REST, Fri: 20 min cross train, Sat: 1.5 miles

Week 2:

Sun: Stretch & strengthen, Mon: 1.5 miles, Tues: 2 mile run or cross, Wed: 2 mile run & strength, Thurs: REST, Fri: 20 min cross train, Sat: 2 miles

Week 3:

Sun: Stretch & strengthen, Mon: 2 miles, Tues: 2 mile run or cross, Wed: 2 mile run & strength, Thurs: REST, Fri: 25 min cross, Sat: 3 miles.

That will hopefully get me sort of ready to tackle the Hal program. The encouraging sign is that my feet barely hurt tonight when I ran. The negative? Well, i ran slow as crap! I received my Garmin Forerunner 305 today, so I tried it out while I ran tonight to get used to it. The bad news is I got to keep track of exactly how fast I ran the mile in. Let's saw that I would lose to the turtle and the rabbit right now! I know it will come in time, but it's frustrating to know that at one point in my life I could run two miles in 11:30 mins, and now I can barely run 1 mile in that time!

It will come...slow and steady...1 foot at a time!

Training Day 2

2010-01-11T16:52:00.002-05:00

So far so good. I managed to get my ass out there anrun a bit. Granted, I'm not running far. Just another mile. But considering I'm starting from ground zero, with a messed up knee and a messed up hip flexor, I'm not picky. I just need to get my body conditioned to the pounding. My feet hurt again today when I ran- though not as much and for not as long. I'm hopeful that as I break in the shoes and get my feet used to the running, I will be ok.

I ran on the Ma & Pa trail today. It's a very well maintained trail that winds by an old railroda that the original head of Johns Hopkins used to travel from his mansion down to the city to go to work. It's really nice. Packed gravel and very scenic. I will enjoy running it very much I think. While I was there I found a flyer for a 5k on the trail on April 3rd. On my training schedule that date was supposed to be a 10k race. However, since I can't fidn a decent 10k closeby on that date, I'm going to signup for this one and then after the race, run another 5k on my own. What's nice is this trail entrance, parking, etc (and for the race too) are literally right down the street from my house. It's less then 2 miles from door to trail. That will make it very easy for the 5k that day!

The Reboot and The New Goal

2010-01-10T21:08:00.002-05:00

Hello all! It's been a long time since I've been on here sharing my journey through P90X. Well, after my successful completion of P90X, my journey got a bit derailed. I attempted multiple encores of P90X, P90X+, and Insanity- and each would fail. Not because they don't work, and not because I don't have the desire to complete them. Since the end of my first time with P90X, I went through a string of injuries from various sports, etc that derailed my efforts.

Now, that is a big part of the story, but I also am partly to blame as to where I am right now. I let myself get discouraged, and stopped doing the things that I needed to do to be healthy. I stopped eating right, stopped exercising (though I had to due to injury), and let myself fall back out of shape.

So, I need to get my ass and my life in gear and get back to being healthy. So, today, I'm startign on a fitness journey that will allow me to complete my first half marathon. I'm targeting April 24th as my date. There is a nice half marathon in Ocean City, Maryland along the beach and boardwalk (i.e. NO HILLS) that date. So, I've got 15 weeks to get myself ready. This blog is my way of motivating myself and tracking my workout progress, diet, etc.

So, the program I'm using to get ready is a 12 week program. Since I have 15, and I'm a little (ok a LOT) out of shape, I'm going to modify it a little to add in a little extra time to try and build up my base a little bit. Starting today, I'm switiching over to a fairly strict diet and I will be doing runs of some kind 6 days a week for 3 weeks. Some long, some short, in an effort to build up my base fitness level and break my body into this running thing. Then I will jump into the training program for the half marathon. I may work some P90X workouts into this as well (for sure the Yoga and the Ab Ripper).

Today, I ran my first mile (and a quarter). It sucked. I haven't run in so long, and I had brand new shoes. My feet were killing me after about a minute. I know I need to get myself ready, so I'm not too fazed. I'm an over-pronator (with NO arches), and these shoes are designed for my gait, but I still need to get my feet conditioned to the running, and get my shoes broken in. Add to this the fact that it was a balmy 27 degrees with a 10 mph wind and snow and ice on the sidewalks in somne spots, and it was an interesting run to say the least. Cooled down after with about a 400m walk. thank God for my iPod- I don't know if I'm going to be able to do all this without my tunes!

Diet started off decently. Egg whites and low fat cheese with some turkey bacon for breakfast. A slice of meatloaf made from lean gound beef for lunch. Dinner was some ground turkey and wheat macaroni noodles with cheese and some sauce. Also I had some carrots with a small amount of low fat ranch as well as a handfull of sweet potato chips (no salt and no trans fats). There was also a P90X recovery drink after the run and lots of water today. Overall, a BIG departure from my poor eating habits as of late. I'm looking forward to eating clean again and getting my fitness back where it belongs.

The Return...And A Bonus

2009-06-10T16:07:00.002-04:00

Hello all! I'm not sure if anyone out there si still reading. I've been away from both the blog and the P90x for a while. To sum it up in a nutshell, a combination of an injury (non P90X related) and job issues forced me to take some time off. But I'm back and ready to go.

Actually, I'm not just back, I'm on Day 10 today. That's Shoulders and Arms tonight. But the bonus is, my wife Danielle decided to join the P90X party. She and I decided to start together on June 1. So we've been rocking it out together (and apart) ever since.

I only have time for a quick update for now, but rest assured I'll be back with more details. I hope to post our pics as well, though they may not be up until Day 30. So far so good. I've been sore, but not too bad. The wife is doing really well. She's always been pretty fit. She teaches dance and coaches dance at her old high school. And she still dances in some adult groups as well. So her cardio is pretty good and her flexibility is tremendous. We're focusing on gaining some strength in her core and arms. But she's been DESTROYING the ab ripper already. makes me sick....

Anyway, hope everyone is well. nice to be back on the X!!!!

P90X Round 2 Day 36- Plyometrics (and catching up)

2009-04-22T08:33:00.002-04:00

Just when I though things would settle down for me, things got crazy again. For work this week marks the close of our financial year so we are just slammed right now with things we have to do. I also found out that I'm being given an extra person to ork with as well as having a significant portion of Pennsylvania added to my Maryland/Delaware territory, so itlooks like I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling soon. good news is that P90X travels!

So anyway, while I may not have been blogging as much as I'd like to have been, I have been "Bringing it". Took care of Plyometrics yesterday and was pretty excited. It was the best Plyo has felt in a while for me.

I also did pretty well om Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps the toher day. I even rocked out 22 Pike Presses- which was a new record for me. So, things are coming along nicely.

The funniest thing is that the fitter you get and the more into P90X you get, the more people want to talk to you about it. Because of what I've been doing, my boss is now doing P90X with his wife and one of my doctors is doing it now too! It's just funny because months ago these people were all picking on me about doing the "infomercial" workout, but now they are all converts!

Back tonight with an update. Keep pushing play!

P90X Round 2 Day 31- Back and Biceps

2009-04-15T22:19:00.002-04:00

Quick post tonight as I have a few things to do for work. Today was the Back & Bicep workout. Man, this one is a killer- in a good way. All sorts of funky pull ups and lots of vein-busting curls just punish you. I love it!

I felt pretty good today. Was pretty pumped up on my NOXplode and my Volumaize and brought it hard. My biceps were so pumped that my right one felt like it had a pulse! My arms were absolutely burning today. I struggled with the pull ups (especially the dreaded corn cobs). But I did my best and forgot the rest.

I did well on the ab Ripper as well. full reps (plus some extra Mason twists). I just had one of those "good" days today.

Anyway, looking forward to the Yoga tomorrow (did I really just say that?).....

Mike Out!

Day 30- Intervals

2009-04-14T21:38:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Happy Birthday....to me. I'm now an even older bastard. But at least I can't say FAT bastard anymore!

So, today was Day 30 and was supposed to be a Plyometrics day. But I decided to give myself a little present by kicking my ass with the Intervals workout from P90X+. Fun Times!

I brought it ok I guess. My balky right knee really acted up today so I had to modify a few moves and take it easy. But I still got a nice little workout in. I also played an indoor soccer game tonight which helped burn off a few more calories!

Diet:

OK diet day-but could have been better. I had a protein shake for breakfast. missed my snack. Had lunch with the wife and kids at Panera Bread where I had half a bacon turkey bravo on wheat. Afternoon snack was a protein bar. And dnner was one slice of the wheat crust pizza with turkey pepperoni.

Favorite Move of The Day:

Super Skaters

I like this move a lot. It's basically the speed skating move from one of the other workouts. But as you add intensity, you end up making these huge leaps from side to side. I felt like Apollo Ono!

P90X Round 2 Day 29- Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

2009-04-13T21:17:00.004-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today was the first "new" workout tis round. I got to rock the challenging Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps workout today. I forgot how much fun yet how challenging this workout is! It's an absolute killer and I KNOW I will be sore tomorrow.

All sorts of cool push up variations. And for whatever reason, my triceps felt like they were going to literally pop off my arm. It was intense. I used my two scoops of NOXplode, rolled up my sleeves, and brought it.

I felt pretty good. It had been a long time since I had done this workout so sometimes I had to atch the move be demonstrated first. Then I would just hit rewind and go back to get my full reps in. I really like all the push up wariations in this one. And a lot of the crazy push ups demoed in the infomercial show up in this workout (like the plyo push ups and the one-arm balance push ups).

Solid day with Ab ripper- all reps on all moves. Not quite ready to add advanced moves yet, but it won't be too long!

Diet:

Decent diet day. Breakfast was some turkey sausage and a banana. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was a 6 inch trkey sub on wheat with mustard. Missed my afternoon snack. Dinner was a slice of pizza with a whole wheat crust and turkey pepperoni. I would have liked to add a little more protein into the mix, so I may polish off a protein shake before the evening is over.

Soundtrack of The Day:

Bleeding Me- Metallica

I just love this song- especially the version that is on the S&M album (symphony & metallica). It builds slowly and gets more intense with every second. Finally it gets intense and loud at the end- which is just like my workout!

Move of The Day:

Two-Twitch Speed Push Ups.

I hate and love this push up. You crank out four pushups of your choice as fast as possible. then you do 3 slow ones (down in 4 counts, up in 4 counts). then you repeat. I only made it through 2 sets (there are 3). It just kicked my ass today.....

Day 28- Rest Day

2009-04-13T21:15:00.001-04:00

Saturday was a scheduled rest day. While i was at the beach, I was hoping to get in a nice jog along the shore. however, we had extremely cold, windy, and rainy weather, so I took the day off!

P90X Round 2 Day 26 and 27- Core Synergistics and Yoga

2009-04-10T20:51:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

This week has been nuts- so nuts that I've barely had time to breathe. But after this holiday, things will be much easier to manage and daily posts WILL be the norm again.

Anyway, on Thursday I decided to actually do the Yoga instead of Core Syn (I just switched them). This was because I knew we were leaving for the beach on Friday and I would not have 90 minutes to do Yoga. But I did on Thursday. So I made the executive decision!

Daily Workout Summary (Thursday):

Yoga still sucks. I don't care what Jeff and some of the others say, I don't think I'll ever "grow to like it". The workout is just too long. I have a short attention span and need to have variety to keep me interested. The first 45 minutes of Yoga are all a variation on the same thing. So it gets old really quickly. However, the last half is much better. When you get into the balance poses, it becomes both challenging and exciting as you move from pose to pose- even getting some ab work in with the Yoga Belly X. Much better for someone like me.

I felt like the workout was good. I'm making gains in my flexibility and overall core strength. I still struggle with the Crane, but every time is an improvement!

Daily Workout Summary (Friday):

I freakin' LOVE Core Synergistics. Seriously- I love it. I could do it every day. It works your entire body- there's nothing spared. Arms, Legs, Shoulders, Back, Abs/Core- it's all there. And it sneeks up and kicks your ass just when you think it's not too bad.

I used my NOXplode and tried to really bring it today. Just because it's a recovery week, doesn't mean you can't work your ass off. So I got hopped up on my pre-workout drink and pushed myself. I did more push ups on all of the push up type of moves then I did earlier in the week. And I had an extreme sweat going today- good times.

One of the keys to this workout is making an effort to really engage your core on every move. For some of the moves, this is easy. But for others, you really need to concentrate on it and keeping your form. The easiest way to do this is to..... remember to breathe! I know Tony talks about this all the time, but it's really true. If you don't keep your breathing regular, you don't fully engage your core and your posture and form suffer. So for those of you who are newer to the workouts, please KEEP BREATHING!!! : )

Post Workout Rambling:

Just as an FYI, I'm going to be at the beach this weekend celebrating Easter with my wife's family and our kids. Since I'm at the beach, instead of resting, I plan to go for a nice jog along the beach. Maybe I'll see some dolphins or whales or big fish while I'm running. Anyway, if I don't post again until Monday, I hope everyone has a Happy Easter (or Happy Passover for all the folks out there who may be Jewish)!

P90X Round 2 Day 23 and 24- Core Synergistics and Kenpo

2009-04-08T23:49:00.002-04:00

Work has been crazy this week. So my plan to post more regularly got fouled up yesterday. I got my Core Synergistics wokout in, but didn't get a chance tyo post. I had a late soccer game. So as soon as I finished work, workinging out, and getting a quick bite to eat, I was heading out the dorr to my game. I'm actually playing soccer 5 nights a week on top of the P90X- so I'm keeping busy. To be fair, even though I'm not quite 30 days in, the only reason I can play so many nights is because of the fitness base I got from my first time through P90X as well as the few weeks I've been on it again. Before P90X, there was NO way my body could have handled that much. But now the lighter, fitter me is going balls to the wall and loving it!

Anyway, Kenpo today was fine- nothing special to it. I worked it hard and got a nice sweat. But yesterday's Core Synergistics was something else! I really forgot that Core Syn is a TOUGH workout and I also forgot how much I liked it.

The toughest move of the day for me (outside of the stupid Drea Rolls- which I struggle with and hate) was the prison cell push ups. For those of you who are new to the "X" and haven't done core Syn yet, the prison cell push ups are TOUGH. You start at a standing position, drop down and do a push up. Then you bring one knee in, do a push up, bring the other in, do a push up, then jump back to your feet. Now, REPEAT for about a minute. It's an absolute killer. I was sweating like a pig and when I was done, I was doubled over with my hands on my knees gasping for air. The funny thing was that I started off well. I did like 3 times through really fast and thought, "thisisn't so bad". Then I hit the wall. It felt like someone threw a piano on my back. I struggled the rest of the way.

Anyway, tomorrow is a stretch x or rest day. I'm probably going to go for a run if it's nice. Plus I have a soccer game tomorrow night (shocker, right?). Talk to you soon guys and girls!

P90X Round 2 Day 22- Cardio X (plus catching up!)

2009-04-06T22:33:00.002-04:00

Hello all! Sorry I've been absent from the blog for the past few days. Things have been crazy. There's been a lot of stuff going on at work plus at home. The good news is I've been keeping up with my workouts. the bad news is I haven't been able to find a few extra minutes to update my blog.

Anyway, things have settled down here a bit so I wanted try and post just to stay in the loop. Today was the first day of my recovery week. Due to some time issues today I only had time to fit in Cardio x instead of the scheduled Yoga. But, with this beignthe recovery week, I'll see Yoga again later on this week. So this way it won't be boring (at least AS boring!).

Overall things haven't been too bad. I've dropped about 4-5 pounds the first 22 days- and that's without being as strict as I'd like to be with the diet. I started this round of P90X at about 204 pounds. I'm down to about 199-200, depending on the morning. The last time my most significant weight loss came during the middle phase, so I'm hopeful I'll continue to drop a few pounds. I plan to go really low carb for a while after this recovery week as well, so that will help me drop some weight as well.

Also, I've been using the WorkOutSoft sftware to track my workouts. It's pretty cool stuff. I hope to post some screen shtos or something in the next few days and will give soem inital thoughts on it as well.

Anyway, this is just a quick post. I should be back to more normal posting routines come tomorrow. Take care!

P90X Round 2 Day 15: Intervals (not Plyo)

2009-03-31T22:42:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Due to tim constraints I opted to go with Intervals (from P90X+) today instead of Plyometrics. It saves me an extra 20-30 minutes. But it is no way easier- in fact I still think it's the hardest single workout Tony has put together in either of the P90X series.

During the video, Tony talks about studies that have shown that interval training is 2-3 times more effective in regards to cardio training then anything else. From personal experience, I can attest to that- and not just with this workout. Back in college, we used interval trainng in the pre-season for my lacrosse team to get in shape for the season. It was a different type of training then this. It mostly invovled track workouts (running different distances within set time limits- mixing short sprints and longer distances). But they were always killer.

This workout is just balls to the wall for 38-42 minutes (with warm up and cool down). You do 12 exercises at three different intensity levels, take a water break, and then do those 12 again in reverse order. It literally leaves me gasping for air and shaking all over. Of all the workouts, this is still the one I have trouble getting through no matter my fitness level. It really is that tough.

I prepared with my NOXplode and did the best I could. My bad knee decided to act up today, so some of the moves were a bit painful and I had to modify a few. but overall I brought it with a pretty good intensity level and felt like I got in a pretty good workout!

Diet:

I had a solid diet day today. Breakfast was a protein shake. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was a large Galdiator Protein Shake (banana strawberry!). Snack was some turkey jerky. Dinner was fun. It was very spring like tonight so I fired up the grill. I cooked some hot dogs (for the kids and wife). I also made some turkey hot dogs and some turkey italian sausagues. I had one of the turkey dogs on a whole wheat bun with some mustard and I had one of the sausages. Plus a salad. I have to admit, the turkey dogs were pretty bland (especially as I could SMELL the hot dogs!). But the sausgae was excellent!

Favorite Move of the Day:

Tires

This is a take off of some of the moves from plyo and cardio x. The first 20 seconds are some easy tires standing in place (think slow high knees). The second 20 seconds were a very fast high knee/run in place like you were running in place with your feet in some truck tires. the last 20 seconds are the "wacky jacks" from cardio x as fast as you can go. This move killed me today for some reason. I could really feel my obliques being hammered on by the wacky jacks. Good times!

Soundtrack of the Day:

Mama Said Knock You Out- LL Cool J.

Another classic- probably my favorite LL song. This song just makes you want to go kick someones ass! It's a must-listen for me when I workout and it keeps me pumped. This came on halfway through Intervals, and really heped re-energize me and keep me going.

P90X Round 2 Day 15: Chest and Back

2009-03-30T23:09:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today was the last time with Chest and back until week 9. For some reason, I have been CRUSHING this workout. Maybe it was the rest day yesterday. Or maybe it was the three scoops (as opposed to my normal 2) of NOXplode. Either way, I was rocking it again.

I added 20 more total pushups in the day to bring the grand total up to 218 (versus 158 from week 1!). But I just felt more pumped, stronger, and felt like I was recovering more quickly. I think all the supplements I'm taking are really helping and I know I'm starting to feel great again.

Did well on Ab Ripper X also. Very few breaks and again all reps on all moves. I'm thinking I may start to add in some abs Core Plus from P90X+ on some days to push the abs even more!

Diet:

Decent diet day. Breakfast was a banana and a wheat english muffin with peanut butter. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was a small salad, some chicken salad, and a small bowl of fruit salad. Sanack was some turkey jerky. Dinner was some grilled chicken topped with a little crab meat and some fat-free cheese.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Standard Push-Ups.

Nothing exciting or sexy about this move. Just some good old-fashioned push ups. ButI felt like I had a ton of energy and rocked out a personal best without completely killing myself for the rest of the workout.

Soundtrack of the Day:

Slam- by Onyx.

This is a little old-school but it's got a great beat and gets your head bobbing while you rock out on the pull up bar or on the push-up handles! Just really got my grooving today!

P90X Round 2 Days 12, 13, and 14- Legs and Back, Cardio, and Rest

2009-03-29T21:57:00.002-04:00

Hello all. I've had a few crazy days and the ability to sit down and blog about my workouts was pretty limited. Now that all my commitments, etc are over for the last few days, I have a few minutes to get caught up. So, here's a quick update.

Friday was Legs and Back forme. I have always liked this workout. AsI mentioned many timesbefore, I was a soccer player and my legs have always been my strongestmuscle group. However, this week I decided to take it easy for the workout. I was committed to play in a soccer tournament on Saturday and didn't want to be too sore for the day long event. Got through the workout using body weight resistance only (no weights added). It was still a tough workout and was feeling it after! I also got through Ab Ripper with no fuss, taking less breaks and doing all reps. Progress is being made...

Saturday was supposed to be my Kenpo day. However, I never did it. That's because I spent all day playing in an indoor soccer tournament. I actually played on two different teams. One was in the Men's Open tournament (ages 18-whatever) and the other team was in the O-30 tournament. all teams are guaranteed 3 games and then more if you make the playoffs. both of my teams made the playoffs, so I was there for a while. We both ended up getting knocked out in the first round, but it still meant I played 8 games. By the end of the day I was wiped out. I figured I burned plenty of calories so I'm counting that as my workout!

Sunday was a much neeed rest day. Again, at some point I'm going to skip a rest day to have my weeks start on a Sunday, but not this week. I was so sore, bruised, and banged up, I needed today to recover. Spent thday up in Pennsylvania visiting my sister and her husband and then a quick stop over at my parents' house to let them give my kids their Easter baskets. So, I just got home a little bit ago and am finally able to post. I'm looing forward to feeling a little less sore tomorrow and "brining it" for chest and shoulders!!!

P90X Round 2 Day 11: Yoga (and a little more Shoulders and Arms)

2009-03-26T22:18:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Because ofsome unforseen interruptions yesterday, I didn't complete the Shoulders and arms workout yesterday. I did some of it and then work isses arose and I had to bail and never finished. So today I doubled up. I re-did the entire shoulders and Arms workout in the early morning and then did Yoga after work.

I felt strong during the Shoulders and Arms workout. I was able to up some reps and some weight on a few exercises. I also completed all reps on all moves of Ab ripper with the least amount of breaks thus far this round of the "X".

Now, if any of you have read some of my older posts from my first time through the program, you would know that I hate YogaX. and really, nothing has changed. But I did the entire 92 minute workout today and survived. I still hate it, and am not sure I'll ever love it. But one thing that made it bearable today was listening to my own music. At least during some of the painful and/or boring parts I was able to listen to some music and forget about how much I hated what I was doing for a second. It really helped!

Diet:

I rebounded from yesterday with a better diet today. Breakfast was a proetein shake. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was a small salad. Snack was a string cheese. Dinner was some grilled chicken and some salad.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Tree

I like the balance moves in the Yoga workout much more then the Warrior stuff. The warrior stuff is too repetitive and is just plain boring. The balance poses are different poses that work on both your balance and your core. Out of all of those, my favorite is Tree. Youbalance on one leg with the other leg folded inward and your ands up in the air. I can actually do this pretty well, so that' s pretty much why I like the move the best!

Soundtrack for the Day:

Jaco's Ladder- Huey Lewis & the News

I am a sucker for '80s music and one of my favorite bands from then was HLATN. This song hapened to shuffle on while I was working out and it kind of summed up how i feel about this P90X journey. I'm climbing and climbing and all I want is to get it better then today. And I do it step by step. Makes sense to me. And in that "spiritual" moment of clarity while doing Yoga, this song really seemed to hit home!

P90X Round 2 Day10: Shoulders and Arms (Sort of)

2009-03-25T23:15:00.003-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Just a quick blastabout today's workout. I was all set to bring it when some things happened very late in the day with regards to work. By the time I finished dealing with the situation, I needed to leave for a soccer game. When I got back, I was able to get in some of the workout for today, but was interrupted by my wife and kids getting home. I had to cut out on the workout to have some "family time."

Because of this, I'm going to pull a sort of double tomorrow. I plan to finish the rest of the workout and Ab Ripper X in the early morning and then do Yoga at the end of the day to get caught up.

Diet:

Strange diet day today. I had an early OR case and didn't have my normal protein shake. I did manage to get some egg whites and turkey sausage at the Johns Hopkins Cafeteria, so I was still pretty healthy. But then I was stuck in cases and a dentist appointment with my wife. Therefore, I missed some of my mid morning and mid afternoon snack. Lunch was a slice of cheeze pizza (starving nd all that was around). Dinner was leftover baked chicken and peas from last night. Too light on prtein today and too heavy on carbs. must do better tomorrow!

P90X Round 2 Day 9: Intervals

2009-03-24T21:57:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

After listening to Jeff rave about how great the Intervals workout from P90X+ is, I decided to go ahead and give myself a refresher as well. Boy was that a mistake. Intervals kicked my butt! In fact, it ate me up, spit me out, and stood over me laughing.

This workout is short by P90X standards. It clocks in around 35-40 minutes. But it is non-stop with only one water break halfway through. You do 12 moves at varying degrees of intensity levels, and then you repeat in reverse order. There is everything from plyo to Kenpo in this and it is clearly the hardest workout of either series. I had to ake several breaks. I think it was a little ambitious of me to try this workout in week2. I should have help it for my recovery week when I was a little more fit. But it was a great workout nontheless.

Diet:

Decent diet today- though a little heavier on carbs then I wanted. Started off with a protein shake. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was a turkey and chedder on wheat from Quiznos I forgot to put my fod in the cooler on the way out today so I only had my waters!). Snack was a hndfull of pine nuts. Dinner was some baked chicken and peas.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Jacks

The Jacks move is a killer. You start with 20 seconds ofhalf jacks (you don't bring your arms all the way up). Then 20 seconds of full on jacks at a good pace. Then the final 20 seconds you do the infamous "X" jacks from the Kenpo workout. I's a killer!

Soundtrack of Today:

I Wanna rock- Twisted Sister

I was really hurting during the workout today. I was having trouble keeping up, taking extra breaks, etc. But then this song came on in the mix and I was re-energized. Just something about this song that gets me going and puts a smile on my face. Is it wrong to be such a fan of '80s hair bands????

P90X Round 2 Day 8: Chest and Back

2009-03-23T19:17:00.005-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

I ultimately decided not to workout yesterday and to stay on the monday workout schedule for now. I was really sore yesterday and decided to listen to my body and give it a day of rest. As I get back into the groove I may ultimately decide to switch back to a Sunday start for the week. But as of now, I'm still on the regular schedule. As such, today was chest and back day.

I don't know what it is, but I was PUMPED today during the workout. I think a large part of how I'm feeling right now has to do with the upping of my Nitrix from 3 to 4 pills at a time as well as the addition of the Volumaize during the workouts. Whatever it is, it's working. I absolutely CRUSHED my workout today. I felt strong and really brought it hard.

I consider a workout crushed when I blow away reps from the previous week. In week 1 I did a total of 158 oushups (all push up moves combined) and 71 pull ups. this week, I did 198 push ups and 82 pull ups. Unbelievable! In fact, in the second round of the decline pushups, I did more reps then I did the first round! Amazing! Like I said, I think those supplements plus theCellMass andtheNOXplode are really helping me bring it right now!

I did ok on ab Ripper X as well. I was able to do all reps on all moves and cut down on the breaks. I'm still not where I want to be with Ab Ripper yet, but I'm making progress!

BLOG SIDE NOTE:

I have entered into an agreement with a company that writes software for tracking workouts. This company is called WorkoutSoft and they have written some really cool programs to help track your progress using P90X and P90X+. I placed a link to their site on the side of my blog. feel free to give it a click and browse what they have to offer. Or click here: http://workoutsoft.com/index.html

I downloaded my copy and will be entering in my information. I have promised them I would write a review of the software after I finish using it this round. So far, at first glance, it looks pretty cool. It provides some pretty insightful information and graphs regarding your progress. It even has a place for you to insert pictures! So far it passes the "look" test. I plan on getting up to speed and letting you know if it's any good.

The other cool thing is that if you decide to buy the software, if you go to their site through my blog you will get a discount. I'll have more details on this as I'm not sure if this will happen until after my review. But regardless, it's pretty cool!

Diet:

Decent diet day. Protein bar for breakfast. Snack was some turkey jerky. Lunch was some grilled chicken and broccoli. Snack was apiece of string cheese. Dinner will be some chicken on a bed of greens.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Military Push Up

I hate this move and love it. The close-in position of the arms really engages your triceps as well as your chest and gets the body hurting! In a good way of course. With the addition of push up bars, this move really works you and allows you to get really deep into the move. I brought it today and was able to really crank out some reps on this one!

Workout Song:

As I stated previously, I've begun listening to my own music during workouts. Todays workout can be summed up by the song of the day: B.Y.O.B. by System of a Down. If you have ever heard this song, it's pretty hard rocking and gets you head-banging! This song came on about halfway through the workout and I was bouncing my head to the beat and going crazy during the faster sections. I jusy felt like this song summed up my day amdwhat I felt like during the workout! Lots of crazy energy today!

P90X Round 2 Day 7: Rest Day

2009-03-22T12:08:00.002-04:00

Today is supposed to be a scheduled rest day. However, I'm skipping it this week. I'm doing this because I generally like to have my off day be Saturday. When I started last week, I was still in Houston on Sunday coming back from visiting Jeff and Annie (Dangle The Carrot). So, I went ahead and started Monday. So, I'm going to skip the rest day and go ahead and do my workout later today to kick off week 2. Check back later to read my wrap up.

P90X Round 2 Day 6: Kenpo X

2009-03-21T20:48:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today ends week 1 of the program (again). It is the Kenpo workout. I've said this time and time again, but I just love this workout. It kicks your butt if you push yourself but it's so fun you don't realize how hard you are working! At the end of this workout, I'm always a sweaty mess.

I used the NOXplode again as well as the Volumaize with this workout. I finished all 20 oz of the Volumaize by halfway through the workout! The few weeks off due to my walking oneumonia seemed to have killed my cardio fitness much worse then my strength gains. I was STRUGGLING by the mid-point of this workout. But I just kept trying to push through and keep moving.I got my second an third wins and made it all the way through.

Diet:

Overall the diet went well today. Breakfast was a protein shake. Snack was turkey jerky. Lunch was some italian turkey sausage and a small salad. snack was a protein bar. Dinner was a personal pizza (wheat crust) with fat free cheese and turkey pepperoni.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Jab Cross Switch

Unlike many people out there, I like the punching moves more then the kicking moves in Kenpo. I just find it easier to bring more force and push myself on the punching type of moves. So this move, which is a simple 2 arm combo, is fun. Then to mae it harder, he has you jump in the air and switch your feet after every combination you throw. It takes the intensity to another level. I love this move and the one after it because of the switch part. It really pushes you- which is the point!

P90X Round 2 Day 5: Legs and Back

2009-03-20T22:32:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today was legs and back for me. I loved this workout during my first tour of duty on the X. However, when I recently started up again I pulled a muscle in my butt the first time out on this workout. so, after re-booting again aftermy recent illness, I was worried I may suffer another injury. Not to worry though- I made it through just fine.

I like working on my legs as these muscles have always been my best feature. So, when it comes to this workout, I have no trouble finding the motivation to "bring it". And I'm also really noticing a difference in my workouts now and I think a lot of it has to do with the supplements. The NOXplode is probably the best pre-workout drink I've used. Not only does it get me revved up, but it tastes great too. Also, the Volumaize during the workout I think is helping with myrecovery in between moves. But I think the biggest change is due to the Nitrix.

When I restarted last month, I was only taking CellMass and Nitrix. And I was only taking 3 Nitrix tablets at a time. The directions say if you weigh 200 lbs or more you need to take 4 each time. I'm right at 200, so I always took 3. but since the illness and my re-boot, I've been taking 4. And I think it's keeping me pretty pumped and helping with my performance.

Another thing I'm doing now is working out withthe videos in silence and cues mode. It only allows you to hear Tony talking as the build up to a move or when you change sides. I've been working out to my own music and it's been a very fun difference for me. I recommend it if you are starting to get bored with the videos.

Did fine with Ab Ripper X. I can still complete all reps on all moves. but I'm still having to take breaks that I didn't have to at the end of my first time through P90X. I can't wait to be that fit or better again!

Diet:

OK day for the diet program. Breakfast was two whole wheat waffles with sugar free syrup. Snack was a carb control protein shake. Lunch was some grilled chicken over greens. snack was a large strawberry banana Gladiator protein shake from smoothie King (Jeff's favorite). dinner wassome grilled chicken fajitas (minus the shells).

Favorite Move of the Day:

Switch Grip Pull Ups

This pull up is cool. It works you very hard and wears me out quickly. You do two standard pull ups. Then you switch to a reverse grip for two. Then you switch back, etc. It's good because it pretty much prevents you from cheating by getting help by rocking yourself up. Before you can really get your momentum going, you have to stop and switch. I think this is one of the top two most demanding oull ups in the entire P90X series.

P90X Round 2 Day 4: Cardio

2009-03-20T00:04:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today was supposed to be Yoga day. However, I had to work in the morning and in the afternoon I had to wait for the Direct TV guy to come (between 12-4). However, he didn't show until after 6pm! He got done around 7:30 (with the inside stuff), and I had a soccer game at 9. So instead of Yoga I went out and played soccer to get my cardio in today. I usually play in goal, but onight I played in the field and ran hard for 90 minutes. It felt good but I'm still sore from plyo the other day. this may help with that...or it may have made me more sore!

Diet:

Not too bad with the diet today. Breakfast was a whole wheat English Muffin with peanut butter. Snack was a protein shake. Lunch was half of a small personal pizza on a wheat crust with fat-free mozzarella and turkey pepperoni. Snack was a protein bar. Dinner was some sliced turkey over some lettuce and carrots.

P90X Round 2 Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

2009-03-18T23:44:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today was the shoulders and arms workout for me. I love this workout. I like trying to burn out my shoulders and biceps. I keep hoping one day they'll be nice and big!

I brought it pretty well today. I felt like I had a lot of energy (in part o the NOXplode and the Volumaize). I was busting through the moves and equaled and/or exceeded what I was doing before I got sick. I think I can see the benefits of the nitrix, CellMass, NOXplode, and Volumaize already. I was getting great "pumps" in my workout and felt like I was recovering very quickly. Overall I think it was a great workout and I love being back on the "X"!

Ab Ripper X was a different story. The good news is I did full reps on all the moves. the bad news is I had to hit pause a few times and let my screaming abs recover. It seems like of all the gains I "lost" while on my various breaks, the one I lost the most was with my abs. It will be a while until they feel tight and strong again. But I know it will come if I stick to the program!

Diet:

Solid diet day. Protein shake for breakfast (no milk). Turkey jerkey for snack. Lunch was some of the leftover turkey and corn/peas from dinner last night. Snack was a protein bar. Dinner was a grilled chicken salad with fat free ranch.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Deep Swimmers Presses

This move is a lot tougher then you realize when you see Tony do it. It is especially difficult if you don't bring the dumbbells all the way down and instead turn it into a sort of concentration move as well. But when you do this move you really feel the burn in your shoulders right away. And the twisting motion really helps bring that extra deep burn. I love this move!

P90x Round 2 Day 2: Plyometrics

2009-03-17T22:45:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today was the dreaded Plyometrics workout. This is always a butt-kicker. And while still recovering and with a 2 week lay off, it worked me over pretty good. As I sit here, a few hours later, I can feel myself getting sore already- never a good sign.

I worked out later n the day then I like. This actually forced me to eat dinner later, etc. I was just so busy with work that I did the best I could. I used the NOXplode again today- though I backed off on the number of scoops. Went with 2 today instead of 3. 3 caused me to have some issues falling asleep last night. But I still felt energized during the workout and was able to "bring it" as much as possible.

Diet:

Diet went pretty well today. Breakfast was a protein bar and an EAS Carb Control protein shake. Snack was a few pieces of turkey jerkey. Lunch was two veggie burgers topped with mustard. Snack was some pine nuts. Dinner was a turkey tenderlon and some corn and peas.

Favorite Move of the Day:

Lateral Leapfrog Squats

I love this move. It isn't all the challenging, but it's fun. To make it harder you really need to sit down deep into the squat while keeping your back straight. When i do this move it brings back my college lacrosse days when we used to have to practice moving our feet while playing defense and having to shuffle back and forth between cones. Fun times!

P90X Round 2 Day 1: Chest and Back

2009-03-16T22:48:00.002-04:00

Daily Workout Summary:

Today I "rebooted" on P90X. So, I am back on Day 1 which is Chest and Back. Oh how I've missed it!

I am definately feeling the effects of the illness and the layoff. I am still a bit run down and had trouble breathing on some of the Ab Ripper, but I pushed through. I actually managed to do a lot of the same number of reps as when I left off of P90X 2 weeks ago, so I'm hopeful I didn't lose too much.

This time through I'm also adding quite a bit if supplements to my workout. I've started taking Nitrix, NOXplode, Volumizer, and CellMass. I've used other pre-workout stuff before, with mixed results. Today was my first day on NOXplode. and boy does it rock! At the 30 minute mark I could feel my blood pumping and my energy level jumped! It really helped compesate for the effects of the walking pneumonia I'm still recovering from.

Diet:

Not a good start to the diet today. I'm a medical sales rep and am often in cases in the operating room. today, I had a bunch of cases at two different hospitals. My early morning cases ran late which made me late for my afternoon cases. So what happened was I had a whole wheat english muffin for breakfast at 7am and didn't get a chance to eat again until after 4pm. On the day, I really didn't hit my caloric target and my carbs and proteins were all out of whack. It sucks because I can't exactly take food into the OR, so I had no way of eating. I'll try and get on track tomorrow.

Favorite Move of The Day:

Decline Push Ups

I actually HATE this move. It makes my arms and chest burn like hell. But I guess that's a good thing. I try and leave the tops of my feet on the chair instead of just the toes. They said that makes it harder. I'm usually burning badly by rep 6, so I have to try and breathe and just battle through these. For whatever reason, these have always been one of the worst push ups for me.

P90X Reboot

2009-03-16T22:44:00.002-04:00

Hello all! As you read in previous posts, I recently came down with a case of walking pneumonia. Because of this, I basically missed 2 weeks of workouts.

The good news is, I'm feeling a lot better and am ready to start up again. The bad news is, I missed 2 weeks! I debated long and hard about what to do. Should I just pick up where I stopped? Should I pick up where I would be in the program if I hadn't stopped? Or should i start over?

I went to Houston to visit Jeff (Dangle The Carrot) this past weekend. We talked about it and I have decided to start over. The theory behind the muscle confusion is based upon working your muscles for s et period of time in a certain way and then changing things up. I had basically stopped for 2 weeks, so the element of confusion would be lost. So, as of today, I'm back to day 1.

Still Sick...

2009-03-10T22:47:00.003-04:00

Still sick guys. Sorry I haven't been posting. I found out today I have walking pneumonia. The doc gave me some strong antibiotics. I should start feeling better this weekend. It's hard to workout when you have no energy and can't breathe! Let alone the strong coughs!

I'm going crazy not being able to workout like I want to. I was just starting to get my groove back with P90X. I can't wait to start feeling better so I can start "bringing it" again!

Sick....

2009-03-05T14:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. In my post on Monday I referenced feeling like I was coming down with something. That would be an understatment! I've been hit hard by a nasty bug. I've tried working out but have little energy right now to get through it. Today (Thusday) I'm feeling a little better and I plan on trying to do something either later today or tomorrow. I'm dropping weight badly right now as I really haven't been eating. Fever, jont aches, coughing, sneezing, runny nose...good times!

P90X Round 2 Day 15: Chest and Back

2009-03-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Well, after a long day Sunday playing a lot of indoor soccer, I decided to take the rest of that day off. I was just too exhausted and beat up to try and fit in a P90X workout. So, today (Monday) I did my Chest and back workout. I had considered doubling up today (doing the C & B in the morning and Plyo at night), but I am too tired. This is because of two things: 1) I'm starting to get sick (sapping me of my energy) and 2) we got hit with a bunch of snow and I had to do a lot of snowblowing and shoveling today.

I did the chest and back workout early, which made running the snowblower and shovel a lot of fun later on. In retrospect, it was probably good though. Because after clearing my driveway and sidewalk (twice each), I would not have been able to bring it with good intensity.

I did pretty well today. I am matching or exceeding reps on all moves. One issue I'm faced with is the lawnmowers and heavy pants moves. I used bands for pretty much all of round 1. this round, I'm usin dumbbells. My wife got me an adjustable set that goes from 5-25lbs. This works for most everything I've been doing, but with moves like these two, I just don' have enough weight. The last two weeks, I've done at least 20 reps on heavy pants each round at 25lbs, and I'm not getting any burn. If I keep going until I burn out, I end up having to pause the DVD for a while. So, I may have to keep an eye on sales at Dick's to see if I can go get some heavierweights at some point.

Ab Ripper was a bit of a bear today. I got through it, but with the soreness of all my games yesterday, it was a challenge. I knew I was in trouble with the Pfifer Scissors when I was burning in my abs at rep 6! i got through them without stopping, but I was STRUGGLING! It hurt so good! But next time I'd prefer to make it until rep 15 or 20 to feel like that!

Diet: Solid diet day. breakfast was a protein shake. snack was a protein bar. Lunch was some grilled chicken and some carrots. Snack was an EAS CarbControl protein shake. dinner was some chicken and a small salad.

Favorite Move of The Day: Pfifer Scissors. I figured since I struggled with these today, I'd talk a little about them. From everything I've heard, this is probably the move that most people struggle with. I have good days and bad days with it. to be honest, it was the bane of my existence during round 1. However, around week 5 or 6, I realized that the key to getting through it is to breathe! I don't mean just breathe inand out. I mean to inhale as you switch legs, and exhale as you hold. If you slowly exhale and concetrate on your breath and abs, you gain more control of your core and the pain associated with the move. Whenever I struggle, I just remember to breathe and focus on the breathe- not the pain. It usually helps me get through it.

P90X Round 2 Day 14- Rest Day

2009-02-28T18:25:00.001-05:00

Today is a rest day. I plan on doing various things around my house and taking it easy. I have a soccer tounrament to playin tomorrow, so my workout may get bumped to Monday or it may be late Sunday night (depending on my energy level and injury level!).

Keep bringing it!

P90X Round 2 Day 13: Kenpo X

2009-02-27T12:08:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Kenpo always had a sift spot in my heart from the first time I did P90X. I just love this workout. It keeps you moving and grooving, punching and kicking, and sweating your ass off. If you are a new person to P90X and you do this workout and aren't covered in sweat at the end, you aren't bringing it hard enough. When I do this workout, I always try and picture actually hitting someone (yes I was a big Karate Kid fan when I was young!). There is a difference between just throwing a punch and actually trying to hit as hard as you can.

The key to maximizing the return in this workout is to swing with maximum force on every kick and punch. This forces you to engage many different muscle groups as well as your core. And then you need to remember to breathe! I exhale on every kick or punch and breathe in when I reload. I find this helps keep me in a good rhythm and gets me maximum output.

Anyway, I brought it hard today. The kicks were flyinhg. I'm feeling a lot better then at this poin tlast week, so I was able to extend the kicks and get more height, etc.

Diet: Diet is going well. I'm posting very early so I can't give a complete run down. I started with my usual protein shake and have had my protein bar for a snack. I need to think about the rest of my meals today. I'm a Catholic and this period of the year (the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday starting on Ash Wednesday) is called Lent. during Lent we are supposed to not eat meat on Fridays. So, I have to go hit the store to make sureI have some tuna and some seafood for dinner. bac before I understood how to eat healthy and before I was doing P90X, these days were easy. It was lots of cheese pizza or mac and cheese, with some frizen fishsticks or something. Yummy right? Well, considering I won't be eating ANY of those right now, I'll be rocking some tuna salad for lunch (probably) and will try and get some shrimp or something for dinner.

Favorite Move of The Day: Three Directional Kicks. This move is both fun and challenging. It combines the three different kicks (ball kick, side kick, and back kick) all in one move. But, to make it harder, once you are good at it you can try and move from one to another without letting your kicking foot hit the ground. I did this today. When I kicked with my right foot I was able to do all 8 reps without putting my foot down or falling down. however, when I did it with my left, I lost my balance a lot. So, I will need to kepp working on that!

P90X Round 2 Day 12: Legs and Back

2009-02-27T09:22:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Day 12 was the legs and back workout. Last week I pushed it a little too hard during this workout. I managed to pull my right glute (butt). Good times. This week I backed off a little on the weight and slowed down a little to amke sure my form was better. I think this helpedas I made it through and don't feel very sore.

I brought it with a pretty good intensity level. I felt like I worked pretty hard. I also made it thorugh the Ab ripper again with no major issues or breaks. Some solid progress there as far as I am concerned.

Diet: My diet was ok on Day 12. It could have been better, but a major work meeting prevented me from staying on track as far as my mean timiing. Breakfast was a protein bar. Lunch was some grilled turkey over a bed of greens. Snack was a Galdiator Protein smmothie from Smoothie King. Dinner was some grilled chicken breasts wih a touch of Old Bay seasoning (a Maryland Crab seasoning) anda small salad.

Favorite Move of The Day: Calf Raises. I love this move. I am a calf junkie. I have some pretty large calves and always like to work them out. For years I always did calf raises using the machine or rack and going straight up and down. But these calf raises are so much better. Between hitting the calf from 3 different angles and mixing in the slow and the fast, they kill your calves. I love it!

P90X Round2 Days 10 and 11: Shoulders and Arms and Yoga X

2009-02-26T07:25:00.002-05:00

DailyWorkout Summary: Sorry for the combined posts for these two days. When I tried to post on Tuesday for Shoulders and Arms, the site failed as I pushed "post" and everything I had written vanished! It was late and I was too tired to write it all up, so I figured I'd combine it with my Yoga write up.

So, on day 10, I rocked the shoulders and arms workout. I love this workout. During the first time I did P90x, my shoulders and back were probably the two sets of muscles that went through the most dramamtic change. I've always had sort of broad shoulders for my size, so it's nice to finally get them looking decent.

On day 11, I did Yoga x. It's been a while since I've done the Yoga orkout. Ususally time constrainst force me into cardio (ok, who am I kidding- a lot of it is purely my choice!). But last evening I spent the tiemto go through the full Yoga X. I won't say it made me love it- but I at least will admit I need to do a better job of adding it in moreoften. tony Horton always talks about Yoga being the fountain of youth. Flexibility and core strenght are the key to good health, so Yoga is here to stay!

Diet: No major issues with the diet the last few days. I'm sill on the low carb portion (Phase 1) so I've been trying to limit my carb intake as much as possible. On tuesday, my breakfast was a protein shake followe by a piece of low fat string cheese for snack. Lunch was a two turkey burgers. Snack was a Carbcontrol protein shake. Dinner was a texmex salad with fat free ranch.

On Wednesday my breakfast was a protein shake. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was a grilled chicken breast and some broccoli. Snack was another CarbControl shake. dinner was two turkey burers and a salad.

Favorite Move of the Day:
For Shoulders and Arms: Lying down tricep extensions. I love this move. It comes at the end of the round when you are flat busted in terms of your energy. But yet as you power the dumbbells up, you feel your triceps explode!

For Yoga X: Tree. I like this balance pose. It's tough but nto so tough you can't do it. I fall out some times (as does Tony), but it's calming and if you concentrate you can feel your core muscles working.

P90X Round 2 Day 9: Plyometrics

2009-02-23T23:59:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Today was "the Beast"! This thing always lives up to the hype as the "toughest" workout in the series. This is such a buttkicker. I don't care how fit you are, you WILL get a workout doing this.

I felt pretty good today. A lot of the soreness in my legs is subsiding, so I felt like I was able to bring it with a lot of intensity today. My issue is my knees (as usual). Right now both are acting up and I'm wearing small braces on both knees. I need to buy some better ones for a little more support and for a little less slippage. They keep falling down!

I kept up better this week then last. I'm still a far cry from round 1 when I was ripping this workout up, but I did much better then week 1. Slow and steady wins this race, so I need to stay focused on the small positives each week.

Diet: Today was a good diet day. Breakfast was a protein shake. snack was a protein bar. Lunch was two spicy black bean veggie burgers wih a little bit of mustard and a salad. Snack was an EAS CarbControl shake. dinner was a large salad with grilled chicken topped with some fat free chedder cheese and some lite Italian dressing.

Favorite Move of The Day: Hot Foot. This moves is tough. for those of you who aren't familiar with it, you hop on one foot for 30 seconds and make a + with each tap. For the first few seconds you don't think much of it. But by the 15 second mark, your calves are screaming and your ankle is begging you to stop. Then you do the other foot for 30 seconds. Good times! I brought it hard during this move. I like to try and stay on beat with the music and with Tony's little chant at the beginning. It always helps keep my mind off the pain in my legs!

P90X Round 2 Day 8: Chest and Back

2009-02-22T19:14:00.004-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Today started week 2 for me. The last time through P90X, this week was probably the toughest one for me. I was sore from week 1 and had trouble bringing it with maximum effort. If today's workout was any indication, I don't think I'm going to have as rough a week this time.

I am still sore, but I felt strong and I was able to push it pretty hard today. My only issue is a nagging finger injury. Last week during an indoor soccer game, I dislocated my left pinky. It went back in place, but it's still pretty swollen and bruised. It makes some of the moves, especially ones using the dumbbells, pretty difficult. Strangley, it didn't really bother me during the pull ups- just dumbbell moves.

I felt good during Ab Ripper X. I got through all he moves completely and was able to get through the Mason twists without stopping (even quicker then I thought I'd be able to).

Diet: Decent diet day. Breakfasat was a vanilla protein shake. Snack was an EAS Carb Control shake. Lunch was the last of the pork and some corn. Snack was a protein bar. Dinner was some ham oer a salad.

Favorite Move of the Day: Decline Push Up. This moves always kicks my butt. Of the different push ups in this workout, this one gives me the most trouble. I'm not sure if it's the change in angle, or if it's the fact that it comes late in the orund, but it's a killer. The key to it (in my opinion) is remembering to breathe and to keep your back stiff. This gives you more of a workout for your core and prevents you from using your back muscles to help get you up.

P90X Round 2 Day 7: Kenpo X

2009-02-21T20:07:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Today was Kenpo x which was one of my favorite workouts from P90X last time through. I am still quite sore from the previous legs and back workout, so today was still a bit of a challenge. I also had a workout buddy with me today. My 4 year old son, Braden, did the Kenpo with me. Well- at least he tried. He was quite cute trying to do the various kicks and punches. And he really enjoyed the spirit yells with some of the moves!

Overall, taking into consideration my high level of soreness, I felt like I brought it pretty well. I am missing the hiegt and velocity in my kicks that I had in my first round of the "X". This will come back with time as I consition my body to the program again and gain back some of the strength and flexibility.

Diet: My diet was fairly good today. Breakfast was two multi-grain wheat waffles with sugar free syrup. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was some of the lean pork loin I enjoyed alst night (it was just as good today). Snack was a protein shake. Dinner was some sliced ham and some corn with a small salad.

Favorite Move of The Day: Claw Hammer! I don't know why I like this move so much- but I do. I actually think it has to do with Tony chanting, "Claw, Hammer. Claw, Hammer" each time you do the move at the beginning. My son is still saying this hours later....

P90X Round 2- Day 6: Rest Day

2009-02-20T22:57:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: today wasscheduled to be Kenpo. however, I was just too sore from the legs and back workout to "bring it" like I wanted to. so, I moved my rest day up one day. I plan on doing my Kenpo tomorrow.

Diet: Solid diet day. Protein shake forbreakfast. Protein bar for snack. Lunch was some of the turkey chili from last night. Afternoon snack was a CarbAdvatage EAS shake. Dinner was some lean pork loin wrapped in turkey bacon and a garden salad with liteItalian.

Move of the Day: Icing my sore butt!

P90X Round 2 Day 5- Legs and Back

2009-02-19T21:17:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: I haven't done the legs and back workout in quite sometime. I forgot how much this workout kicks your ass! It a;ternates between a leg move and a pull up for basically an hour straight. It is seriously intense. I tried to pace myself. I was surprised by how weak my legs have become in the last 1-2 months off. For example, from the very first second of the wall squats, my legs were shaking. That hasn't happend on that move to me since about week 2 or 3 from my first round of P90X.

As I said, I tried to pace myself. I was also in a bit of a rush tonight, and didn't take the time to properly warm up, choosing to skip right to the first move. BIG mistake. On one of the side-lunge moves, I pulled something in my glute (my butt!). not too bad, but I could feel it. After that, I stopped using weight for most of the moves (except the calf raises/burners). After the workout I soaked in my hot tub to keep it loose, and then aced it. I'm hopeful it won't bother me too much during Kenpo tomorrow and plan to warm up and not kill myself during my workout.

I did better on the Ab Ripper X tonight. I got through all the moves again, and only had to break once during the Mason Twists (at rep 20). It's slowly coming back....

Diet: Solid diet day for me. Breakfast wasa protein shake and a banana. Snack was a protein bar (Myoplex Lite). Lunch wasa garden salad with 4 strips of grilled chicken topped with fat free honey mustard. Afternoon snack was an EAS carc control shake. Dinner was turkey chili.

Move of the Day: Super Skaters. Idon't know why, but I love this ove. There's no weight, and it's really simple. All you do is basically pretend to speed skate and go deep into the skate motion to get a one leg squat. But I like the burn and when myknees feel good, I like to get really deep into the move. It's jsut a lot of fun and I really enjoyed "bringing it" during the move today.

P90X Round 2 Day 4: Cardio X

2009-02-18T23:18:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Due t some major time constrainst today, Cardio X was all I could fit in. I had planned on doing the Yoga X workout- but work issues and a soccer game prevented me from having the time needed to pull it off. So, I went with the short but sweet Cardio X. I haven't done this in a few weeks and it's a fun little workout. Gets the blood flowing and the sweat running. But nothing that will kill you. I nice mid-week "break".

Diet: Good day diet-wose. Breakfast was a protein shake (but a substituted water for the milk to cut calories). Snack was a Myoplex Lite protein bar. Lunch was some chicken salad and some fruit salad. Snack in the afternoon was another Myoplex Lite bar. And dinner was some baked chicken and carrots. I had a small bowl of blueberries for desertalong with an EAS shake.

Favorite Move of the Day: Steam Engine. I love this move and hate it at the same time. It starts off easy enough, but by the end, I'm burning up, my legs feel like they weigh 1,000 lbs, and my stomach feels like it's going to explode! I alway try and keep great form on it, yet go fater then Tony and crew. My goal is to beat them to the 50 rep mark. The quicker I do, the better I feel about the level of intensity I used to bring it".

P90X Round 2 Day 3: Shoulders & arms

2009-02-17T23:04:00.002-05:00

Daily Workout Summary: Today was shoulders and arms and Ab Ripper X. Overall I felt pretty good. I like this workout a lot. It really works you hard. I bonked a bit near the end. I worked out arund 6:30 but had eaten my last meal at 2. So my stomach was growling. I didn't want to eat before I worked out because I didn't want it sitting in my stomach. Also, I'm taking Nitrix and Cellmass, and both of those need to be taken on an empty stomach. So, I figured I'd workout, take them right after, then wait 30 minutes nd then eat. This lead to a serious crash during the "bonus" round and Ab Ripper X. but I "did my best and forgot the rest". I suffered through it. It hurt- but it's a good hurt I guess. I got thorugh theAb ripper tonight- though I really struggled with the Mason Twists. I had to take two breaks to get through all 40...and no bonus ones. But I'm making progress.

The funny thing is I'm not really sore from yesterday's plyo workout. but I'm REALLY sore from my chest and back workout from Sunday. however, the day after Iwasn't as sore as today. Wierd?

Diet: Diet went well today. It's nice getting back on a healthy track again after loading up on junk the past few months. Breakfast was a protein shake. Snack was a Myoplex Lite protein bar. Lunch was some sliced turkey breast, some carrots with lite ranch dressing, and an EAS proein shake. Snack was another Myoplex Lite bar. Dinner was some grilled chicken and some corn. Dessert was a banana.

Favorite Move of the Day: I had fun doing the crouching congdon curls. I haven't done this in a while, and I really pushed it. It felt like my biceps were going to explode by the end. I used the wall to go deeper into the curl. Overall I felt like I got a really nice burn.

P90X Round 2 Day 2: Plyometrics

2009-02-16T21:23:00.002-05:00

Day Summary: Ovrall,today was hell. This is the toughest workout in the P90X program. Add he difficulty to my relative out-of-shapeness andthrow in some chronic knee issues, and you have a bad day all around! I gutted through it. Yet I could tell I lacked the explosiveness I used to have in my jumps, etc. This will come as I get back in shape. By week 3 I shouldbe rocking again. Also, I went out and got some new knee sleeves, so that should help too.

Diet: Pretty good day diet-wise. Breakfast was a protein shake (40 grams protein). Protein bar for snack (15 grams protein). Lunch was a grilled buffalo chicken salad with fat free ranch as well as an EAS Body for Life shake (17 grams protein in shake). Snack was some sliced turkey breast. Dinner was a grilled chicken salad with the lite Italian dressing (only 2 carbs in dressing). I had some blueberries and a banana for desert.

Move of the Day: Jump knee tuck. This is the hardest move in the plyo video. It's basically a knees-to-chest jump for 30 seconds. Tough! I hate Dom during this move when I'm out of shape. He jumps like a freakin' EnergizerBunny (non-stop and fast)! Ill be there again someday soon!

P90X Round 2 Day 1: Chest and Back

2009-02-15T22:31:00.002-05:00

Day Summary: Chest and Back was on the agenda today. Day 1 is always the hardest with any program I guess. I really could feel how much the time off has effected me. I lacked the explosion and endurance I had during the latter part of P90X. And I couldn't get through the Ab Ripper. I know this is temporary, and I imagine it will be passable by the end of the week. I'm not that far gone....

DIET: Did well today for my first day back on the diet. I'm starting the classic on the tradition 30 day cycle of low carb and high protein. After being a complete fatass for the last two month, it felt good to get back into the groove of healthy eating. Drank lots of water today. Breakfast was a protein shake (40 grams of protein). Snack was an EAS Carbconscience Shake (110 calories, 2 carbs, 17 grams of protein). Lunch wasa small garden salad with some grilled chicken and some light Italian dressing (only 2 carbs and very little fat or calories). Afternoon snack was a protein bar (15 grams of protein). Dinner was another salad and chicken with theItlaian dressing.

Favorite Move of the Day: Military push ups- I love these. My arms get a really deep burn in the tricep area!

P90X- A Re-Boot

2009-02-15T22:27:00.002-05:00

Hello all...it'sbeen a long time. Here's a quick update as to what has been going on.

Following a successful go-round with P90X from Sep-Dec of 2008, I tried out the P90X+ program. After a few weeks, I just wasn't "into" the program. For reasons related to that, feel free to browse some of my previous posts. So then I decided to go back to P90X. However, with some thingsgoing on at work, plus a big trip to Hawaii the last week of January, I stopped my second round of P90X.

Was I disappointed? Yes. Since stopping I have felt something missing. I have also gained back about 5 lbs, and I could feel some negative effects on my soccer performance and overall general health.

So, starting today, I'm back on P90X!!!!!! And I'm excited.....

Round 2 Day 11: Cardio X

2009-01-16T00:34:00.002-05:00

Today was supposed to be a Yoga day. However, due to a crazy schedule, and a sick family (my wife and both kids are sick), I just didn't have 92 minutes to do the Yoga. So I popped in the Cardio X.

This is still a fun little workout. I like that it mixes a bunch of stuff together. I still struggle with the Drea Rolls, but everything else is good. I wore a heavy sweatshirt during the Yoga part at the beginning to work up a really nice sweat. The I rocked out the rest of the workout. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things and am feeling better.

Round 2 Day 10- Shoulders and Arms

2009-01-14T22:54:00.002-05:00

Today was a shoulders and arms workout. I like this workout so much more since I started using dumbbells. I just get a much better burn- especially in the bicep exercises. I also like that there aren't any pushups or pullups! I think it's the only arm workout in the series without any pullups or pushups. Variety is nice but so is a break!

Ab Ripper X was also on the plate today. I am not where I was at the end of the first time through P90X- but I'm still a heck of a lot better then I was at the beginning last time! I can make it through all the moves- but I need to take a break once in a while on certain moves. But I'm slowly making progress.

My friend Andrew started P90X today. I hope he sticks with it. I'm going to try and keep him on track through emails/texts/phone calls. And jeff should be healed up from his shoulder thing soon and back on the "X" shortly. And Matt is out there rocking the "plus". It's good to have lots of people out there pushing play!

Round 2 Day 9: Plyometrics

2009-01-13T22:00:00.004-05:00

Plyometrics day!!!!!!!! I hate it- but I love it!

This is week 2 of my second round of P90X. however, as I mentioned, I am also mixing in some of the P90X+ stuff for variety. So, last week, I swapped in the Intervqals workout for Plyo. This week, I took a ride on the BEAST!

Plyo chewed me up and spit me out today. I am positive that I will be sore tomorrow. It's been over a month since I've done this workout and my body wasn't used to it anymore. I was struggling wih things like t was my first time. But the good news is my fitness base is better so I was able to rcover quicker and complete each move (barely).

The jum knee tuck move is still the toughest thing in this workout. I used to be able to do double time the entire time. Today? not so much. But I kept up with Tony and the others (except jumping bean Dom!).

Back to the weights tomorrow!

Round 2 Day 8: Chest and Back

2009-01-13T00:03:00.002-05:00

Today was Chest and Back day. I felt great today compared to last week. This is mostly due to the fact that I didn't have a migraine!

I made it through the workout with a pretty good intensity. I'm now taking a pre-workout supplement called MyoShock. It's made by Muscletech- the same folks who mkae the NanoVapor. I like the Myoshock a lot. First off, there is now powder to drink. That's my biggest complaint with everything else I've tried. I always had to drink a big glass of something and during my workouts, I could feel it all sitting in my stomach. The MyoShock is just a bunch of pills. The recommended doseage is 3-7 pills 30 minutes before your workout. I started last week with 3 but am now up to 7. The other nice thing is that I don't feel :jittery" when I;m working out. But I can feel my heartrate is up and I have a great sweat going. This tells my my metabolism is up and I'm burning calories. Plus I feel like I have a little boost of energy.

So, I rocked the Chest and Back workout. I can't find my old sheet from my first go-round with P90X, so I don't have anything to compare it with. But I'd say I felt a lot stronger and was recovering better between exercises. In fact, in a lot of moves I was able to match round 1 reps in round 2.

I also brought the noise with the Ab Ripper. I got through it better today. Added the arms up for the first three moves. I'm still barely making it through the Pfifer Scissors, but am getting there. A few more weeks and my stomiach will be back in the groove.

See you tomorrow for Plyos!

End of Week 1 Round 2

2009-01-11T21:59:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. The last few days have been prety hectic. I got a new computer (finally). It has taken me a few days to get media, files, etc, loaded onto the new machine, which has lead to little time to post.

I wrapped up week 1. Though I did miss one workout this week. I missed the Kenpo workout at the ed of week 1. However, I went for a 2 mile run and played an outdoor soccer game today. so I think I got enough cardio in to cover it.

Anyway, I am back online and will try and keep up a little more regularly.

Keep pushing play!

Rd 2 Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

2009-01-08T20:00:00.002-05:00

Today was the return of the Shoulders and Arms workout. Man, I forgot how great this workout was! After going through the Upper Plus workout, I never really felt the "burn" like I felt today!

There are two reasons for this (in my opinion). 1) The workout is longer and focuses on less muscles. 2) I used dumbbells instead of the bands this time.

For Christmas, my wife got me a set of adjustable dumbbells. Nothing too crazy- they adjust from 5-25 pounds. But before I had some small weights (up to 12 pounds) and the bands. This time, I used the weights for everything and the burn was fantastic. My forearms and biceps were pumping! It was a hard workout with bands, but I really think using the weights adds a degree of intensity.

I did the ab ripper again. And again, I struggled but managed to make it through the workout.

Diet went well today. I stayed in my target calorie range and got a lot of protein without a large amount of carbs or fat. One change this time around is that I'm in a different calorie range for the food program. Before I was in the level 3. Now, becauseI weigh less, I'm in level 2. Not a huge difference, but I have to eat about 300-400 calories less then I was doing during the first time through P90X. I don't care as long as the fat keeps burning off!

Also, this time through I'm on creatine. Outside of the trace amounts in the P90X recovery drink, I didn't take any creatine last time. But I am taking it now and hoping to see some real improvements.

See you tomorrow for Yoga!

Rd 2-Day 2: Intervals

2009-01-07T19:34:00.002-05:00

Hey folks! So, today I decided to substitute the intervals workout from "the plus" for the plyo workout. I did this because my knee is still a little tender and I figured the interval workout would be kinder to my balky knee.

I just love this workout. I think it is the best workout of all. Your heartrate is up and down and up and down for 42 minutes. There's ONE waterbreak and that's it. It's awesome. A major butt-kicker!

I brought it hard and it felt wonderful. I was shaking at the end- totally spent. Good times.

Rd 2 Day 1: Chest and Back

2009-01-06T20:37:00.002-05:00

Today I re-started the P90X. Again, I suffered from a severe migraine prior to the workout and some during it. I did the best I could to complete everything. I think this one was a direct result of no sleep last night. For some reason, I didn't sleep a wink. Actually, I think the 4-5 hour nap in the evening when I as trying to get rid of my migraine screwed up my sleeping pattern. So I was up all night. And then I was tired today.

Anyway, it was nice to get back to the bascs and start the program again. I did the ab ripper again, though it was tough after not doing it on a regular basis in a while. I struggled with the scissors and the mason twists. I had to take a break for the first time in a while.

I ate pretty well. Protein shake for breakfast. Protein bar for snack. Grilled chicken breast for lunch. Banan for snack. Dinner was peas and chicken.

Keep pushing play!

Slight Delay

2009-01-05T18:13:00.001-05:00

Hey folks. I'm sorry to report this, but I will be delaying my P90X round 2 kickoff by a day. I got home from work tonight with a migraine. I tried to workout through it, but the pain was too intense. I'm going to go load up on my tylenol and find a dark room to lay down in.

I will try this again tomorrow- or may double up. Either way, I'm bummed! :(

Where I've Been....

2009-01-03T22:03:00.004-05:00

Hello folks and Happy New Year. It seems like forever since I've been online. Much of it had to do with the hectic schedule my family was on over the holidays. But some of it had to do with a decision I've made regarding P90X+

After much deliberation, I have decided to pull the plug on the formal P90X+ program. I enjoy the Total Body Plus, the Kenpo Plus, and the Intervals workout. But I don't feel like the Upper Plus or the Abs/Core Plus were doing what I wanted to do.

Also, I injured my knee about a week ago playing soccer. Nothing major- just a brusied and inflamed bursa sack. It caused me to take some time off. And in the time spent reflecting on the new program, I just realized that I had a good thing going with P90X, so why mess with success?

So, starting Monday, January 5th, I will be starting week 1 of my second round of P90X. I will probably swap in the intervals workout sometimes for plyometrics. And I may swap in the total body plus for core synergistics. Same with the Kenpo workout (it may alternate from week to week). So it will be sort of a hybrid P90X/P90X+.

So, check back Monday and help me keep pushing play!

P90X+ Day 14: Kenpo Plus

2008-12-28T21:30:00.002-05:00

Quick update today. Fired up the Kenpo Plus workout today. Love it! Lot's of cool new moves and lots of energy. The Gladiators were even more fun this time since I knew what the heck I was doing!

Back to work tomorrow. I'll be working out in the afternoon or evening and plan to post some stuff then- including my thoughts on the Plus so far and my future plans for the entire program. Updates soon....

P90X+ Day 13: Upper Plus

2008-12-28T13:47:00.002-05:00

Day 13 brought the second weekly round of Upper Plus. My wife got me a nice set of adjustable dumbbells for Christmas. They change from 5-25lbs. This was my first opportunity to try them out, so I broke them out.

Overall, I had fun using them. It was nice to try some fo the curls with weights for a change.

I felt like I had decent energy levels today. I brought it hard. I felt pretty winded by some of the moves though- especially the spiderman pushups. Though I did up my reps on that move! I then did Ab Ripper X instead of Abs Core Plus.

Sunday will be Kenpo Plus workout!

P90X+ Day 12: Yoga

2008-12-27T18:34:00.002-05:00

Friday was Yoga Day. I did the best I could. I was feeling completely exhausted from the past 2-3 days. I fit in my workout, gave it what I could, and moved on. Yoga is not my favorite thing to do and I struglle every time with my focus. It just isn't entertaining.

P90X+ Day 11: Rest Day

2008-12-27T18:33:00.001-05:00

Christmas Day proved to be too hectic to fit my Yoga workout in. So, I made it my rest day.

P90X+ Day 10: Total Body Plus

2008-12-24T16:29:00.003-05:00

Today's workout was the Total Body Plus workout. As I stataed last week, this workout is really a rocker! You are moving, sweating, and pushing yourself pretty much non-stop.

Here's an idea of how intense this workout is- the warm up for it is over 9 minutes long and includes things like the dive bomber pushups (a legend from P90X), squats, lunges, etc. It is like a mini-workout before the workout!

I was out late last night, so my energy levels were low. Combine that with the fact that due to traffic (and my lack of foresight) I didn't eat a lot before the workout mid-day. I had basically a protein shake at 7am and didn't eat again until after my workout ended at 3:30. I bonked hard during this workout. I need to make sure I eat properly, and I think I'm going to add more carbs back in. I still managed to burn about 615 calories, so I brought it pretty well considering!

I will be leaving you now to go wrap presents, hang with the in-laws, eat some food, and do the Santa thing with the kids. It's going to be another long night.

Hope everyone has a nice Christmas!

P90X+ Day 9: Intervals Plus

2008-12-23T13:44:00.002-05:00

Today was an intervals day. This was my second time through this workout and I was really looking forward to it. I feel like it's a great overall cardio workout with lots of variety. It really is a butt kicker. I think it's harder then the plyometric workout but easier on the legs/knees.

I brought it today. I burned over 700 calories again in just the intervals section alone. I did the Abs/Core plus after and burned another 300 calories. Over 1,000 calories burned again!

One of the toughest moves for me is the 3 Point Push Ups. The first 20 seconds are no biggie. You hold yourself in plank. Then you stand up. Repeat. The second 20 seconds, you add a push up in plank. And the last 20 seconds, not only do you go as fast as you can, but when you stand up, you jump up. Plus there is no stepping back to plank. You jump into plank. It's a killer. My heart rate was way up during this one!

HEading home to PA today to see my parents and exchange gifts with them. Then the wife and I are heading out with a bunch of my old friends from high school. I'm going to try and take it easy with the booze!

See you tomorrow!

P90X+ Day 8: Upper Plus

2008-12-22T20:47:00.002-05:00

Today was the Upper Plus workout again. I'm not sure why, but I felt really strong today. I think it's a combination of finally getting over the cold/sinus infection I've had for about a week and a half, combined with finally getting back into working out. Taking that week off was nice, but combined with the final week of P90X (which is a recovery week), I could definately feel it last week when I got started again. I felt weaker, with slightly less endurance. Not today!

Today I didn't use a chair for at least half the reps for every pull up move. I blasted through some of the other moves as well, really upping my reps. One move I felt really strong in today was the frog push ups. This is a move where you do a push up, then jump your feet up to the outsides of your hands and then back. Then you go faster! I really pumped through those. My arms were shaking at the end and I collapsed in exhaustion. Good times!

I also decided today to go back to the ab basics by doing Ab Ripper X instead. I just really don't feel like I get a good enough ab workout with Abs/Core Plus. It's a great overall total body workout, but it's just not ab-specific enough for me.

And I realized how much I missed Ab Ripper X when I tried doing it today. After essentially three wekks away from it, I struggled a bit. I still got through all the moves, but wasn't able to do some of the advanced options and could feel the burning in my midsection. It was glorious!

Loke I said, I was brinign it today. I burned a total of 779 calories in the workout. 587 during Upper Plus (vs 483 last week). Total calories were down slightly when Ab Ripper X is included (779 today vs 799 last week). However, the Abs/Core Plus is longer, and gets your heart rate up more as it is more of a total body/core workout.

Tomorrow is the intervals workout. I'm excited to do this again. I'm also off the rest of the week, so I'll be able to workout at my leisure......

P90X+ Day 7: Rest Day

2008-12-21T22:39:00.001-05:00

Today was a scheduled rest day on the program. I took full advantage of it by playing with my kids and hanging out with my wife. Watched some football too.

Back in gear tomorrow. See you then!

P90X+ Day 6: Kenpo Plus

2008-12-20T23:48:00.002-05:00

Today was the last of the "new" workouts within P90X+. This one is a new Kenpo workout called Kenpo Plus. It's 42 minutes long and is non-stop moving, kicking, and punching. It was a lot of fun.

One of my biggest issues with the P90X+ program is how little time Tony takes demonstrating and explaining new moves on the DVDs. In the original program, he explains how to do each one and usually does a rep at the beginning that doesn't count just to show you. With the "Plus", he doens't really explain it. This has lead to a lot of me having to pause anrewind the DVDs as I try and figure out what I'm doing.

This was especially the case with the Kenpo Plus workout. There are a lot of really great new combinations and moves, but I was constantly having to stop an go back just to figure out what was going on. For example, one of the coolest new moves, The Galdiator, was also one of the hardest to figure out how to do. It's basically a jump kick and down punch, but the way you do it isn't natural to me. You do 30 secinds from one starting stance and 30 seconds from the other. It took me quite a while to get this down.

That being said, I tried to bring it the best I could. I was also tired having spent most of the day at the mall with the wife and kids trying to finish up all of our last minute shopping. So working out was not something I was looking forward to. But, I still burned 685 calories. I'm sure I'll burn more the next time once I'm more comfortable with how to do the moves and can just concentrate on bringing it!

Tomorrow is a rest day. I may go for a run or something depending on my mood.

P90X+ Day 5: Upper Plus

2008-12-20T00:06:00.003-05:00

Today was a repeat of the Upper Plus workout. I am still fighting a nasty cold or upper respiratory thing (have been for over a week). I tried to bring it as hard as I could. I ended up burning 799 calories between the Upper Plus and the Abs/Core Plus. Not too shabby.

I was a little more comfortable with everything this time around. I was more familiar with the moves and how to pace myself throughout. I feel a little better about this workout. Last time I didn't really feel like I got a great workout- today I did.

One thing I was really pleased about was my ability to really bring it in some of the moves. In particular, the "L" Chin ups. This move is one where you do a chin up, bring your knees up, extend your legs out (like an "L"), and then bring them back in and go down and repeat. I generally still use a chair for all or most of my chin ups and pull ups- though it's pretty far away from me and I barely have a toe on it (I think it's a mental thing). Anyway, tonight I was able to do 5 of those "L" chin uos with no chair and then still cranked out a few more after with the help of the chair. I was pretty happy. I felt pretty strong.

I also felt like this time through Abs Core Plus was my best so far. I really tried to concentrate of form and bust through the moves. The hanging moves are still the toughest ones, but I feel like I made good progress on all of them and felt a nice burn in my stomach today.

Diet went well today. I had a whey protein shake for breakfast and a small bowl of berries for snack. Lunch was some lean beef tips and green beans. Afternoon snack was a protein bar. Dinner was some turkey chili.

I'm excited to try the new Kenpo Plus workout tomrorow. See you after!

P90X+ Day 4: Total Body Plus

2008-12-18T19:15:00.002-05:00

So today I tried out Total Body Plus for the first time. My overall impression of this workout is very positive!

This video has one goal: to rock you from head to toe. And it delivers! The variety of moves and the degree of difficulty really make this workout stand out from the rest. It is a great way to get your butt kicked!

One of the hardest moves for me was probably the balance curls. You use weights or bands and do curls. All the while, you need to raise one of your legs in the air and balance for 30 seconds. It is intense. Concentrating on your balance forces you to engage your core, and you are working your arms too.

Another tough move is the 3 & 3. This move lasts two minutes. You do 3 squats while holding weights. Then you put the weights down and do 3 pushups. Then you do 3 pull ups of your choice. Then repeat! Fun times.

I felt like Igot a great workout. I tried to bring it as hard as I could while still learning the moves. I managed to burn 663 calories. I feel pretty good about that.

Diet is going well. Breakfast was a whey protein shake. Snack was a protein bar. Lunch was some lean roast beef and a small salad with fat free ranch. Snack was a recovery drink. Dinner was some beef and broc.

Stay classy and thanks for stopping by!

P90X+ Day 3: Cardio X

2008-12-17T23:07:00.001-05:00

Today was supposed to be Total Body Plus. however, I had a champioship soccer game tonight and didn't want to do something to make me too worn out or sore for the game. so I made the executive decision to swap tomorrow's workout with today. And because of time issues, I did Cardio X instead of Yoga.

I will be doing the Total Body Plus tomorrow and after reading Jeff's review of it, I am looing forward to it!

P90X+ Day 2: Intervals Plus

2008-12-16T19:37:00.002-05:00

Today was my first try at the Intervals Plus workout. If you aren't familiar with the Intervals training theory, it is basically using varying degrees of intensity to allow you to work at your max heart rate for short periods while giving you active recovery time. Overall, it is usually highly effective- especially for peak cardio results. My college lacrosse coach used interval sprint training to get us into shape in pre-season and then to maintain our fitness during the season.

This workout is a real bear. It kicks butt, and I loved it. There are tweleve exercises. You do each one at three different intensity levels. 1/3 of the time at 60% intensity, 1/3 at 80% intensity, and 1/3 at 100% intensity. There is a nice mix of cardio, plyo, and kenpo moves in there. You do all 12 moves in a row. Then you take a 1 minute water break, and then repeat the workoput in reverse order.

One move that was pretty fun/tough was the 3 point push ups. You go down for a 1 count, then come up for a 1 count. This is the 60% move. Then after 20 seconds, you go down and hold for a 2 count, then up for a 2 count. This is 80%. Then the 100% effort move is a down for 3 counts, up for 3 counts. Tony also stresses engaging your core during this move. When you focus on keeping a flat back, tight butt and abs, it really burns!

After the intervals workout, you do the Abs/Core Plus workout again. I did much better today as I was a little more familiar with the moves. The moves felt much tougher today and I made it a point to really engage my core more this time. The hanging up and overs were tough today. This is where you hang from the bar, bring your knees up (together) from one side and twist them over to the other side. Then you put them down and then repeat going the other direction. TOUGH!

I wore a heart rate monitor for the first time. Jeff was talking about how many calories he was burning so I wanted to see how many I was burning. During the Intervals alone I burned 725 calories! I kept it going through the Abs/Core workout and finished at 1090 total calories burned!!! I really felt like I brought it and can't wait to see how many I can burn when I can breathe again (I still have that nasty cold).

Diet went well today. Protein shake for breakfast. Protein bar for snack. Lunch was a garden salad topped with shredded turkey breast and fat free ranch. Afternoon snack was my P90x recovery drink. Dinner is a protein shake and small salad with a little leftover beef and brochalli from last night.

See you tomorrow!

P90X+- Day 1: Upper Plus

2008-12-15T23:06:00.002-05:00

Hello all! I'm back and ready to tackle the next finess challenge- P90X+. I started today along with Jeff (from DangletheCarrot) and Matt. I had taken a week off to relax and recover following my P90X completion. So, aside from a pretty nasty cold/upper respiratory thing going on, I was ready to BRING IT!

So, today was the first day. This workout is called Upper Plus and is a total upper body workout hitting your shoulders, back, triceps, and biceps. Yes there are still plenty of push ups and sit ups. But the variations are groovy.

I'll talk about two of my favorites from today. The first is the 7 point pull up. If you are using a P90X pull up bar, you know that there are some other handles/grips that aren't used. Well, this exercise has you do one rep on every grip working out to in, and using reverse grip a few times for a grand total of 7 different pull ups on one rep. It is intense! I made it through 3 rounds which I felt good about since it was the first time through and I had taken the week off.

The other great move on this workout was the Spiderman pushups. You basically have one are out further then the other and bring a leg in (like SPiderman crwling up a wall). You do a push up like that, then swithc your hands and feet and do it again. It is great and I really felt a good burn from it.

Also new to this workout routine is the all new Abs/Core Plus. This take sthe place of the Ab Ripper. I liked some of the moves, but some I'm not a fan of. In particular, there are a series of moves that involve hanging from the pull up bar. I felt like my shoulders were going to explode doing these and it really hurt my form.

On the plus side there are a few killer moves. The Cherry Bomb is a bear! You start in banana, roll on your side, roll back, bull in (like an in and out), then balance on your butt and extend your arms and legs, then back to the in and out, then back to banana. It's a killer!

I started back on phase ! of the diet plan which is the low carb higher protein section. I did well for my first day back on it. I started off with a whey protein shake for breakfast. Snack was a Myoplex Lite protein bar. Lunch was a chef salad with fat free ranch. Afternoon snack was a cheese stick. And dinner was some beef and brochali stir fry over a spoonful of brown rice.

I'll be back tomorrow for an all new Intervals Plus workout!

Final Photos

2008-12-05T21:28:00.005-05:00

OK, so here are the final "graduation" photos from the P90X program. Overall I'm pretty pleased. While I'm not"ripped" , I'm still night and day different from where I started.

There are a few more shots, and some easier ways to view the photos by clicking on the link to the right under the "Pics" header. Especially cool is the 1/30/60/90 day progression photos. You can really see the differences!

Thank you to everyone who has helped me along this journey. There are many of you like Jeff (my workout partenr and the man responsible for talking me into this), Matt, Tai Chi Monkey Girl, and my wife Danielle, who helped me immeasurably with words of inspriation, motivation, encouragement, etc.

Day 90- Yoga X

2008-12-05T21:18:00.002-05:00

Today is Day 90. It was a Yoga day.

I still hate Yoga. But I got through it. I figured I should close it out right. I did fine on all the Warrior poses. Worked my tail off in the balance poses. I held a crane for over 10 seconds today which is my best ever.

Overall, even though I hate Yoga, it has probably made the biggest difference for me in the program in terms of overall health and flexibility. I was the world's least flexible guy before this. I couldn't touch my ankles, let alone my toes. Now I can grab my toes. So I can see the improvement big time!

Since today is the last day, I will be posting my photos soon. I will probably check in sometime soon to give my final measurements, etc as well as discuss my overall review of P90X. Then I'm taking a week off to rest before starting on P90X+ with Jeff and Matt on the 15th of December.