Disclaimer: P90X is tough and you should be in decent shape before going all out using this system. You could certainly use P90X to get fit but listen to your body and only do what you can. This is *my* journal and I do not advocate that anyone do what I'm doing. Some of it is probably very foolish and you should do your own research and/or consult with a doctor before doing crazy stuff like this.
Day 101 - I started off with Turbulence Training.
Last post, I said that the numbers and weights in a program should be used as a guideline and that you need to adapt it all to your body. There is another option that I used today. I was struggling with the Step Ups today. My legs were doing fine but my wrists were getting tired of holding weights. I don't know why but that's how it was. I wanted to get all the reps in so I took breaks.
You can do the same thing. If you can only do 2 push ups and your plan calls for doing 10. You can do 2, take a break, do two more, and so on until you complete them. You can also space the breaks out through the day if you want. Do 2 in the morning, at lunch, when you get home from work, after dinner, and before bed. There's your 10.
Remember, the right way to exercise is in a way that challenges your body without causing injury.
In the afternoon, I did 20 minutes of Turbo Jam's Punch, Kick,and Jam. It's 45 minutes long. I ran out of time because I helped my wife clean up the house because her parents were going to be visiting.
I did wear the weighted gloves for those 20 minutes which really boosts up the effort over time. Unless you're super fit, you might want to try doing the program without the gloves. Or you can just quit when you're worn out and see if you can go longer next time.
Walking: Didn't wear the pedometer today.
Day 100 - My back was sore when I woke up. Mostly between the shoulder blades. I didn't immediately jump into a workout this morning. I waited hoping that by moving around a bit, the tightness in my back would ease. It did and then I did the P90X Chest and Back workout. Natch.
This is my third week of hitting it hard so that means that next week I'll back off the intensity a bit. I won't do any of the weight workouts I've been doing, including Turbulence Training. I am going to try a the two resistance DVDs that came with P90X+: Upper Body and Total Body.
The rest of the week is going to be cardio, stretching, and yoga. I am really looking forward to the recovery week. The first couple of weeks I didn't think I was pushing to hard but this week, I'm feeling it. I might have to start eating more. My sleep has been pretty good except on Friday and Saturday nights so I'm thinking that I'm not taking enough calories for the level of exercise I'm trying to do.
I took a nap just in case. I really am feeling wasted.
For dinner, I had chicken and pasta. I ate as much as I could, which didn't seem to be that much. Since switching over to at least 5 meals a day, I don't eat as much per meal (obviously) and even when I tried, I failed miserably to put much away. I still think that's the main problem right now.
Let me inject a quick word about supplements. Most people probably don't need to supplement with much other than a daily multi-vitamin. I can think of two cases where you might want to add supplements. One would be where you're trying to make changes as quickly as possible, such as a 90 day challenge from Beach Body or Body for Life. The other would be where you aren't worried about 90 day results but you're pushing your body as hard as possible. Giving your body some extra assistance would be a good idea in either of these cases and you should stick with things that have a good track record like Creatine and Glutamine.
My favorites for these are BSN NO-Xplode and BSN CellMass. Both have extra stuff in them and the other factor that you have to weigh into your supplement decision is how much you're willing to pay. You can get plain Creatine and Glutamine more inexpensively if that's the route that you need to go. You have to decide what priority is placed on your training and then take actions that match that level of commitment.
Walking: 2.23 miles.
Day 99 - I am still feeling incredibly fatigued today so I have decided to swap tomorrow's rest day with today's Turbulence day. I watched a movie, read, and laid down and did nothing for a while. I generally tried to take it easy. I did move some firewood from the driveway into the garage but took it at an easy pace.
Remember, rest days means active rest. It doesn't mean not moving at all. Walking, going for an easy bike ride, or anything that's mentally relaxing and not too taxing physically, are great choices for a rest day.
It's March 1st so if you're making plans for a bikini body for summer, it's time to get started. People can make some amazing changes to their bodies in three months if they really try.
It really becomes a matter of how much you want it and how well you plan for it. Remember the four basics: eat healthy, exercise vigorously, sleep, and create a support team that honestly wants you to succeed.
I finally took a picture of my P90X pull up bar. I really like this piece of equipment and highly recommend it if you don't have something already for pull ups. It offers a lot of different hand widths and grips and is stronger that the inside-the-door frame bars.
Someday, maybe I'll have a pull-up/dip station but I think I'll have to buy a bigger house first. I don't know if it's worth it just so I can have a pull-up station. Some of the exercises in P90X+ Abs/Core would be better done if I could straighten my legs at the bottom. Not that I feel like I'm being ripped off because the exercises are hard enough without letting my legs get fully extended.
Walking: 3.26 miles.
One thing that always amazes me is how much of a difference 10 pounds of weight loss can be, especially when it's more than 10 pounds of fat and the difference is made up with muscle gain. Check out Emily Dafoe's before picture compared to this after picture. It's a 13 pound difference but 13 pounds doesn't really tell the story. She eats 7 times a day and lifts weights 5 days a week followed by 20 to 30 minutes of cardio. She's a nurse and probably gets asked to be the naughty nurse quite a bit.
Chris Isbell lost 30 pounds. Again he probably lost much more than that in fat and gained some muscle (and a bit of weight from his hair too). Chris eats 6 times a day plus snacks that are mostly protein. He lefts weights 6 days a week and uses a few minutes of cardio to warm up before lifting. To get into the great shape that he's in now, he did extra cardio and yoga.
I love reading the success stories even though the basics of how they did it are all the same. Maybe that's why I enjoy reading them. It's obvious that the basics work so if I do the same thing, it's going to end up working for me.
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If you have a fitness goal and want a support partner, I'd love to help. I offer my ecoaching service at no charge for people with fitness goals. If you want to take advantage of this offer while it lasts, sign up at my Million Dollar Body site (again, no charge) and drop me an email and get started creating a healthy, fit you.
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