Another day of Plyo and new energy remedy

After I got home from work yesertday I was thinking about the Plyo workout that was upon me. I love the workout and know that it had to be done but I could barely stay awake. I was just so exhausted for NO reason. I am not sure if it is the high protein diet, intense workouts, not sleeping well...? It could be sleep but I would never know because I never wake up at night. That doesn't necessarily mean I am sleeping well. I am not consuming a lot of carbs so I think that may be part of my energy problem.  I just can't seem to get the energy I need for my workouts every night. It doesn't happen every day but 3 times a week I have to nap after work before even thinking about doing my workout. I seem to have the unfortunate 3PM crash. I wanted to try and fix this so I made a visit to GNC.  When I got there a nice meat-head greeted me and asked if I needed any help. Sorry for the stereotype:) I said no and began to roam about the store. After about 5 minutes of looking at different products with no real education on what I needed, I decided to ask meat-head for some assistance. He came over and was actually a really nice guy. He asked what I was looking for. I told him that I was lacking energy throughout the day and my workouts were suffering because of it. He started to ask me questions about my diet. I told him I was doing an almost all protein diet. I then proceeded to tell him that I was doing P90X. He said "Really! That is awesome, how do you like it?" I told him that I love it! He asked "How far into the program are you?" I responded, "Six 1/2 weeks." He said, "You will finish no problem then if you have made it this far, I have some friends who are doing the same thing." He showed me a vitamin/supplement called Mega Men Sport. He explained the entire product in full detail and I was quite impressed. It is designed to have a delayed release into your system to last all day long. It contained 30 packets of 7 pills. Each packet was taken once a day in the morning with breakfast and liquids. He mentioned that his friends that are doing P90X are using the same stuff. I decided to get a box and try it out since I was looking for anything at this point. Thanks Meat-Head! haha. Ok, I guess he is worth his salt now, so lets just call him, Jon? I took my first packet this morning and can already feel the energy kicking in. What I am feeling is probably just the anticipation, but oh well. I also went online and checked the reviews. This stuff is all natural and get amazing reviews. The only bad reviews is that some people get itchy and break out in hives because of an allergy to one of the ingredients. Hopefully that is not me!


Well Plyo kicked my butt again last night as always. I don't think you can ever get good enough to say this workout is a piece of cake. I decided to keep my sweats on and my sweatshirt to really get the sweat rolling and after about 25 minutes I had to lose the sweatshirt. I didn't want to have a heatstroke! It felt really good though, felt like I was burning twice the calories. I love working up a sweat. I feel much better when I am warmed up and the sweat is rolling!

Tonight I have Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. This is a huge jump from "Chest & Back" which is done during Phase I of the program. The workout, like all the rest, is 60 minutes long. I put the excerises below to give you an idea of what it entails. Some of the names are fairly cryptic but now ya know!

01 Slow-Motion 3-in-1 Push-Ups

02 In & Out Shoulder Flys

03 Chairs Dips

04 Plange Push-Ups

05 Pike Presses

06 Side Tri-Rises

07 Floor Flys

08 Scarecrows

09 Overhead Tricep Extensions

10 Two-Twitch Speed Push-Ups

11 Y-Presses

12 Lying Tricep Extensions

13 Side-To-Side Push-Ups

14 Pour Flys

15 Side-Leaning Tricep Extensions

16 One-Arm Push-Ups

17 Weighted Circles

18 Throw the Bomb

19 Clap or Plyo Push-Ups

20 Slo-Mo Throws

21 Front-To Back Tricep Extensions

22 One-Arm Balance Push-Ups

23 Fly-Row Presses

24 Dumbbell Cross-Body Blows

OOOchikapeska!

Well tonight was a great workout but before I begin, I will say it was really hard. The intensity of the program is what you make of it. If you "Bring It" day in and day out you will undoubtedly feel the results and see the results. Over the past week I have noticed the workouts getting less intense. Tonight I figured out it wasn't the programs fault, it was mine. After work lately,  I cannot seem to get the energy I need to push it during my workouts. Don't get me wrong, I work hard, but when I have no energy my workouts suffer. On certain days it is different and I can't seem to pinpoint the reason yet. My guess is the food I am eating. I am eating healthy but something isn't giving me the energy and pep that I want!

Since the beginning of the program I have always been looking for physical results from P90X. Although these are probably the most notable to anyone when working out day in and day out they are not necessarily the most beneficial.  I took a look at my progress on my overall condition tonight and it has increased dramatically. My stress level is down, I feel great and I am seeing results all around.

During my workout today (Back and Biceps) I took a look at my heart monitor to see what my heart rate was. At  minute 20 of this intense workout on week on (1) I was at 84% of my maximum heart rate! Out of shape!!! (165bpm)/(220-Age(24)=196bpm)=84%. Today when I checked I was at 132bpm which is 67% of my maximum heart rate. That was nice to see. These are the things I don't usually notice but it felt nice to know I am becoming more conditioned. Also, during week 2 and 3 of P90X I started playing flag football for a league I am in. After one hour of playing I was usually very tired. One hour of all running will take it out of you! We had our first game last night and I went the whole game without being exhausted. Not much to gage this obviously but I could tell it was much easier than before. We also won our first game!! We have a great group of guys and I can't wait for the short but fun season ahead!

Jump, Jump, Jump around

Well another day of Plyo. This one gets me every time. It is such a calorie burner! I can tell that I didn't do it last week. One hour later and I was drenched through my shirt and very tired. Not much today. Tonight is supposed to be Cardio X or Yoga X but I am substituting that with Tennis.

I can feel the burn!!!

What sets P90X apart from others is that P90X introduces 'muscle confusion' into the program. This is where other programs fail. When your body becomes used to the workout, you eventually reach plateau. Your body/workouts have too much rhythm and consistency to achieve better results. P90X is always changing things on you and after day 30 there is perfect evidence! I was getting through the workouts much easier on weeks 2,3 and 4 but when week 5 (Phase 2) hit is was a different story. The intensity has grown and the difficulty has increased. I feel the same burn and exhaustion I did on day one. I woke up today with VERY sore arms and back. It felt great knowing that my body is still getting the workout it needs. It is also nice to see the plan WORK! It is amazing how on day 2 of phase 2 I can already feel the change in pace and muscle 'confusion' that P90X is putting me through. My energy today is higher than it has been in a while because I get to ramp up my carb intake a bit and I am loving every second of it. Can't wait to see what is in store for me tonight:).........

Week 5 - Phase 2

Week 5 is a bunch of new workouts and exercises. I never did look ahead in teh program to see what I was getting into but it definetly gets harder as you go. I spent most of Sunday evening driving home from the citites and basically had to use one hand to hold my eyes open and the other to drive because I was so tired. I ended up going to work an hour late so I could sleep an extra hour but that didn't help much. I went home after work to get my P90X in but did not have the energy. So, I took a short 30 minute nap to try and boost myself into P90X mode.

I started the new DVD called Chest, Arms and Triceps. It is a step up from the week 1 Chest and Back excerises. There are a lot more push up moves and combinations and the intesity of the moves has increased. I was all 'there' during my workout and feel that I only gave it about a 7 out of 10 on the 'Bring It' scale. Thats Ok to me though. I will build up as the week progresses. Tonight is Biceps and Shoulders.

Last night was day 31 so I took some before and after pics again. I can tell from the pictures that I getting more bulk than weight loss at this point but that is ok too. I am only 1/3 of the way through the program and have a long way to go. I am at 185LbS right now and want to get down to 175 or 170 optimally. Check out the pics. 20Lbs so far!

Core Synergistics

Well all I can tell you is that the Core workout it right up there with Plyometrics. I almost want to try them both on the same day, back-to-back. That would be 2 hours of immense pain!!! Should be fun right? It is nice to start rotating in new workouts. The variety is great and keeps it interesting. I learned some new push-up moves during this workout that are a lot of fun and incorporate some new muscles for balance.

At the beginning of this program I was only able to do 3-4 push ups consistently. I could do more consecutively but I had to build up my reps towards the end of the routine. I am now able to pump out 10-20 multiple times during a workout. It is nice to see progress. Because thee is sooo much variety and flexibility in P90X, it gives you the opportunity to see the results that you want. I have been tailoring this program to fit my needs since day one and I wouldn't do it differently.  The results+flexibility keeps you motivated to do even better!

Well I have one more workout today and then it is off to the cities I go. I think there is going to be a lot of cheating this weekend. Especially being away from home.

Busy Day

Yesterday was crazy busy. These are the days that can really throw you off but fortunately I was able to get everything done. I worked from 8-5, had to mow my lawn before the lawn company came over to get it ready for Fall, had to get my Legs and Bacl (Awesome) workout in, and then went and played tennis until 11PM. Needless to say my legs are a little like Bambi today.

X Stretch

Having an off day yesterday because of football meant that I had to make up yesterday's workout this morning. So being the morning person that I am (NOT), I got up at 6:00AM and completed the X Stretch routine. This is the first time that this routine has been introduced to the program so I was excited to try something new.  Because it was a stretch workout it was nice to have it in the morning. It made me feel I was accomplishing something early and it felt great after I was done.

A lot of the moves are from the Yoga X routine but a lot are different too. It was a lot of fun and I actually was working up a sweat. Who would have thought that 57 minutes of stretching would break sweat. Not ONLY the sweat but I could have made Gumby look the Tin man after I was done:) Not really, but Tony said I could!

Tonight I get to a try another new routine called Core Synergistics. It involves your neck to your waist. It is a mild yet tough routine from what I have read. I look forward to it! The fun part is trying to fit in another hour today to get it done. I have to fit it in somewhere between Mowing lawn, tennis, pool and supper;) Wish me luck!

Recovery Week

This week is scheduled to be a recovery week on the P90X calendar.  With that comes some cardio and a lot of stretching. This includes a little Yoga and a program called Stretch X. I have not finished a full routine of Yoga yet but I think this week I will try since I am not suppose to be doing the usual routines.

Last night was supposed to be Cardio X but I substituted it for the Chest and Back exercise. I did that because I have 'flag football' practice tonight which it ALL cardio.  However, over the past week I have noticed a decline in energy and daily stamina at work. I have been waking up feeling like I had a few too many to drink the night prior, which is NOT the case.

I spent a little time thinking about why this is happening.  I was kind of bummed because since the start of this program I have had more energy than ever and have been feeling really good. Reading through the support at beachbody.com and the book that is provided to you, you will find out that there are 3 phases to P90X. The first phase is 50% Protein, 30% Carb, and 20% fat. The Second Phase is 30% Protein, 50% Carb and 20% fat and so on. Because of that I think I am lacking in energy because of my carb intake. I am in the recovery week AND just about to get into the second phase of the plan and I think my body's metabolism is starting to kick into gear. My body feels like it looking for more during the day which causes my energy level to suffer. I am going to ramp up my carb intake for next week and see if that helps.  I did start taking a supplement called Avesil yesterday and it has green tea which includes caffeine. It seems to give me that extra boost that I need during my workouts. It is way to expensive to keep taking so I think I am going to switch to Acai Berry pills. The GF is using them and she seems to like them:)

Overall I am very satisfied with the results I have seen so far. I saw an immediate shed in weight and I can see the tone starting to come through. My energy level has been up most of the time and I can see progress in my strength during my workouts. I know that I won't see the same results in week 4-6 as I did in 1-3 so I need to stick with it and keep working hard. My next weigh in and 'photo op' it on Sunday this week. This kind of scares me since I will be out of town all weekend AND going to a Twin's game! haha Should be fun, can't wait.

Adios for now;)

It is a beautiful Saturday!

Well so far the weekend has started out great! We had the threat of a tornado yesterday but that came and passed pretty quickly. Last night we went to the opening of the Comedy club and it was a great first show as expected. Jay Wendell walker was the headliner and he put on a really good show.

I woke up this morning and decided to get my workout in and go for a run. I flew through my legs and back workout and ran 3 miles outside. It was muggy and gray out and by the time I finished running it was blue sky's and sunny which was awesome. Turned out to be a beautiful day for a run.

Now I need to get in the shower and get ready for my friend Bill's wedding. Should be a blast!!

Friday. Woot!

This week has been pretty much a cardio week. I got off track on Monday having teh day off and all and used it as a day off. I did arms and back on Tuesday and Plyo on Wednesday. Along with all of that I have been playing tennis almost every night and football on Thursday so I have had a little strength training and a lot of cardio.

I hope to get my back and arms dones tonight and run a few times this weekend for cardio I am using this week to try and cut weight rather than build muscle. Next week is the recovery week so it will be a bit lighter than previous weeks.

Here are the results!

So I waited two full weeks before looking at the scale so that I wasn't 'chasing' my weight. Turns out the hard work paid off because I lost 15 pounds. That is 7.5 per week. I know that it won't come off this much each week but it feels good to know that I am getting results.

It was nice to have a long weekend. I actually got out and got a nice 3 mile run in which I haven't done in a while. I went through the entire run not feeling that winded and when I was done I felt like I could do it again. It is a great feeling to know that my body it getting into better condition.

I had my Chest and back exercises last night which worked me like none other AGAIN!  I took it a little easy on the push ups in fear of further injuring my shoulder. I keep a log of the number of push ups ad chin ups that I do for each week and I am noticing that my reps are increasing. I was never a big fan of taking before and after pictures (Because I don't like the before pics), taking notes on reps, weights, bands, etc. But after doing it for a couple of weeks I can see the benefit of doing so.  I really helps me gauge my workouts and push myself to do better.

I have posted my Day 1 - Day 14 pics below. I have Plyometrics tonight and can't wait! I want to go for a run afterwards but I think my legs may be a bit wasted by that point.

It's Friday!

Well that was quite a week. I had a bad workout on Monday which left my shoulder in pain by so far it has healed pretty well. Tuesday evening we had football practice for a new flag football team we are putting together. It was a lot of cardio which felt really good.  The next day was OAR!!! I woke up early and got a morning workout.

I have been wanting to go to OAR for the last couple of years and now the time has come. I wanted to watch my eating and things like that but I was not going to beat myself up over it because this was an 'off' day for me. We ate well until about 11:30PM that evening when walking back to the car. We had been craving a corn dog all night so we got one and shared it. We didn't get enough so we hit up the next corn dog stand and shared another by the car. It was great:) All in all I checked my calorie intake for today in my journal on www.myfitnesspal.com (Check it out! It rocks) and I still came in under my 2000 and it wasn't all that bad.  I have legs and back tonight so it will give my shoulder another day of rest. Thank god.

The beer put me over, imagine that...

Morning workout!

Well last night we had our first practice for our newly formed flag football league. Because that was basically a two hour cardio workout, so I skipped my plyometrics yesterday. But wait! I love that workout so I woke up this morning and knocked it out in about 70 minutes. Needed a couple of breaks, the legs were a little tight this morning.

This workout is described as the 'Mother of all workouts' by Tony Horton of all the P90X routines.  I can understand why but I also think it is the most fun, besides Kenpo Karate. I had to take a few breaks when my heart went beyond my 'Zone'.

It felt great to wake up and get a good workout in and a nice breakfast. Great start to what should be an awesome night!!! I am going to the OAR concert in Minneapolis tonight:)

Probably the worst workout yet....

About two months ago I separated my left shoulder from my AC joint. It was really painful but I continued to play the rest of our softball season before going into the doctor.  After going to the doctor he confirmed that it was still separated and that both of my shoulders suffer from rotator cuff tendinitis. I am not sure what this meant but I knew it was painful. Over the next few weeks I was suppose to have several physical therapy sessions but decided to skip them and work my shoulder on my own. I have been through these sessions in the past and it was not worth paying another $350 again.  

After all this time the pain has always been in my left shoulder, the shoulder I dislocated when I was younger.  When he told me it was in both of my shoulders I thought he was crazy! I played softball all season and I throw with my right arm. My arm felt stronger than it ever has this season and I never had a bit of pain in my right shoulder. If I even tried to lift my left shoulder I was in pain, so I was confused.  The confusion was put to rest last night after my second set of military push ups when I heard a slight 'pop' in my right shoulder. Not feeling any pain I kept going. I finished my set and moved onto chin-ups. When I got to my next set of push ups (diamond push ups) I could barely do one without my shoulder throbbing in pain. I tried to pretend it didn't hurt and just sipped that set and moved onto the next. Nope! Anything with downwards resistance on my shoulder felt impossible. Meanwhile, Tony(The trainer) is yelling, "It is suppose to hurt! That's how you get results!" I knew this wasn't the hurt he was talking about and I had to call it quits for the shoulder and back routine. I finished the night with my core and ab ripper workouts and then went on a nice 5 mile bike ride.

After last night I am super disappointed about my shoulder. This is my throwing shoulder and I am supposed to start flag football league in a couple of weeks. I am not the person to sit on the sidelines for an injury. I WANT TO PLAY! Looks like the next week or so will be a series of shoulder ice and resistance bands...