Day 31: Biceps & Back, and Ab Ripper X

I'm no longer sore in my arms. Good thing, because my quads are sore from plyo yesterday. Soreness is migrating all around my body.

On to the workout...I do hate pull-ups. Those Corn Cob pull-ups are pretty cool though. It's nice to stir things up a bit. I'm still not really seeing a whole lot of progress in my pull-ups. I know, I know. I'm not going to be able to do a pull-up with only working out for 4 weeks, but I'm being impatient. It's nice seeing a difference in the size of my biceps though. Soon I can ask if anyone has tickets. To what? The gun show. ;)

I'm getting bored with Ab Ripper. Not that I've mastered it, but to do the same 11 moves every other day gets a little old. Although, I bought P90X Plus, and I'm pretty sure I saw another Ab Ripper in there, so I may bust that out and alternate between the two.

Yoga tomorrow. Ick. And I still need to get blocks!

Day 30: Plyometrics

Hey, it's Day 30! Time flew right by. I took measurements and pictures. I wasn't expecting any change because I've been eating out everyday and sometimes twice a day, and eating/snacking on candies and chocolates. I haven't gained or lost anything in regards to my measurements. My body fat has dropped 2.1%. So, if you want to do P90X and eat anything you want, you won't gain weight. ;) haha.

I also took pictures, but I won't post them because the only difference you can see is when I flex my biceps. I have more definition in them! Yay!

Well, I'm a bit sore from yesterday, mainly on the sides of my pecs and lats where they attach to my arms, thanks to all of those crazy push-ups. But still, it's no where close to the first week of P90X, where you're so sore you can't move.

I love plyo. It was a little tough getting back into it, since I didn't do a whole lot last week. But it still went well, and modified some moves to make them harder. I think the worst of today was doing the ballistic stretches at the end...I didn't realize how sore my arms were from yesterday!

Day 29: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, and Ab Ripper X

Okay, wow. I wasn't expecting for my arms to feel like Jell-O again, but they certainly did. Muscle confusion to the max! I was expecting similar exercises to what we did in phase 1, and looking to go up in weights. WRONG. I didn't realize how many different ways you could do a push-up.

For starters, that Slow-Motion 3-in-1 push-up was killer. What a way to start off! Pike Press? Oh, my. Actually, all the various push-ups were intense and made me want to cry. Ugliness all around!

I was expecting a change-up in Ab Ripper, considering it's the start of a new phase. Although, I still haven't mastered it yet, so I guess there's no point in switching it up then, huh?

Plyo tomorrow! Yay!!

Day 28: Rest

I took a rest day today, even though I felt bad for skipping out on workouts this week. It was a very busy day and this is the first I'm home.

This is the end of my recovery week. Again, I'm really disappointed with myself for skipping out on workouts. I guess I figured that since there weren't any lifting workouts or Ab Rippers that I could get away with a more. Plus, it didn't help at all visiting my parents for the week. However, it was something I needed after a rough semester...just time to relax and eat whatever I want. I'm looking forward to the beginning of phase 2!

Day 27: Yoga X

Yoga is going better for me. I'm able to do hold positions longer and get lower in my stance. One of the biggest changes I've seen (and don't laugh!) is that I'm able to swing my leg all the way through for runner's pose on the first shot. Before my leg would stop half-way through and I'd have to move it to get in the right stance. I don't know if that's because my technique is better or what. Either way, this makes me happy. =) Also, I'm able to get my knees off the floor for Upward Dog. This whole time I was doing Cobra (I think that's the one like Upward Dog but with knees on the floor).

I still need to buy some yoga blocks (I know, I say that all the time, but always forget to pick them up). Maybe I'll do that this week...

Day 26: Core Synergistics

Crap. I thought I was doing yoga today. I obviously can't keep my schedule straight. Either way, I'm skipping it. I'm way too tired from my drive back to school and have an exam tomorrow morning. I know, I suck. This week has been terrible as far as working out and eating go. I'm disappointed with myself. I will have my butt in gear for next week.

Yoga for real tomorrow. Ick.

Day 25: X Stretch

I had a ton of fun with this, because my mom joined me. There was a lot of laughing involved because she had a little trouble with some of the positions, especially during the Bow. She also was cursing out the one chick who used a yoga block the long way for the stretching exercises. Totally hilarious.

I want to be more flexible! Hurry up, body!

Yoga tomorrow. Gross.

Day 24: Kenpo X

I love Kenpo days because the workout just flies by. Can I just sub it in for everything?

Not much to say about Kenpo, except that I really need some arm weights, especially during the blocks segment.

X Stretch tomorrow. Sweet.

Day 23: Core Synergistics

This is a fun workout, despite my inability to do...um...ANYTHING. It was really, really frustrating. My form was awful for almost everything. My banana rolls are far from graceful. All the people in the video transition so nicely. I had to push off to get to the next roll. And Bow to Boat? Pathetic! I can't change these positions smoothly. I didn't even attempt the Chaturanga Run...just the Plank Run.

The guide said you could use bands or weights for this video, so I packed my resistance bands since I wasn't going to bring weights with me while visiting my parents. However, the majority of the exercises didn't work with resistance bands, so I didn't get a whole lot of those exercises. That was a major bummer.

Obviously, when I get stronger and better at these exercises, I think Core Synergistics will be one of my favorite workouts, because I feel like it's a mixture of everything, so it's harder to become bored with it.

Day 22: Yoga X

Major fail for me. I skipped yoga. I feel so bad. I kept pushing it off and pushing it off. When I was about to do it, my parents ganked the TV, and by the time they were done watching their program, I was asleep. So, I think I may do yoga an extra time this week. Although, I really just want to skip it altogether. Yes, I love it that much. Hopefully tomorrow will go better.

Day 21: Rest

Again, I meant to do Stretch X, but I failed. I know the next several days are going to be tough, since I'm visiting my parents. My diet's being thrown out the window for the next several days. My Day 30 is coming up quickly, but I know I won't see any results in my pics nor in my measurements. I just have to go that much harder when I get back!

Day 20: Kenpo X

I woke up extra early to do Kenpo since I had a final in the morning and was making a 6 hour trip to my parents' house for about a week. To me, Kenpo is the easiest workout, so it wasn't hard to wake up for it. However, because it is getting a little too easy, I think I may buy some arm or leg weights (I believe I read that on someone's blog around here or perhaps it was in one of the posted comments). I think that may spice it up a bit.

So close to recovery week! This is going by so fast!

Day 19: Legs & Back, and Ab Ripper X

Such a cheese-o-matic picture of Tony, so I had to post it.

Today's workouts went well. Not a whole lot to say, except that anything's better than yoga. I think I'd even elect to do wall squats before yoga. Speaking of wall squats, I'm lasting much longer. But man, do those freaking burn!

Well, this week, I haven't been following my diet at all. I've been eating out a lot, which I don't get to do often, so I seized the opportunity. Too bad. I don't feel guilty at all. In fact, I'm going to visit my parents for a week, and I'm going to eat a lot of awesome food. I deserve it!

Day 18: Yoga X

I hate yoga. Hate it. I had to take every ounce of energy to make myself do it. I wanted to skip it sooo badly! But I did it. And to make it up to myself, I ate a Baconator and a Frosty. Yum.

Recovery week is quickly approaching, which means I have the pleasure of doing Yoga X twice. Joy.

This yoga stuff better pay off in the end!!

Day 17: Shoulders & Arms, and Ab Ripper X

For the majority of today's exercises, I definitely could have increased the weights. I'm no longer awkward with side tri-rises, but my flip-grip twist tricep kickbacks are still not very pretty.

Why does that blond chick annoy me? I can't remember her name, but she's in the Shoulder & Arms, and Legs & Back videos. I hate no idea what it is, but she annoys me! I'm a bad person, I know.

I did 20 Fifer scissors before I had to take a mini-break. Woo! Now if I could only conquer those V-Up/Roll-Ups...my form is just awful!

Yoga tomorrow. Barf!

Day 16: Plyometrics

Another not so great day workout-wise. I skipped the gym again to sleep in. I really felt like I needed another day to do that. But I will go tomorrow.

Plyo was bad for me as well. I felt so drained and exhausted, even during the first set of exercises. I took a bunch of breaks. I'm guessing a lot of things are weighing on me and it's affecting my workouts. I should have learned by now that med school does that to you.

I'm a little sore in my arms and back, which shows that the resistance bands pushed me a bit further. Me likey.

Day 15: Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X

Yay! It's week 3 already! Time is just flying by. I took some measurements this morning, along with my weight. I've gained exactly 3 pounds since I started, and lost 0.5% body fat. My measurement haven't changed that drastically. The only changes were in my waist (lost 1 inch) and my hips (lost 0.5 inch). I was hoping I'd see at least a 0.25 inch lost in my arms and legs, but no such luck. The time will come. I must be patient.

I didn't watch the DVD today. Instead, I went by the book and did the exercises in front of the TV to change things up a bit. More fun that way! I also bought 30 lbs resistance bands (that was the highest they had at Dick's, or at least from what I saw) and used them in addition to my pull-up bar. I would do what I could on the pull-up bar (with the assistance of a chair, of course), then head to my resistance bands and do more. I can feel it in arms and back, and I think it'll supplement the workout nicely. Military and diamond push-ups are getting easier, but my dive bombers are still ugly. I can't wait until I can do 1 nice dive bomber!

Plyo tomorrow! Yesss!!!

Day 14: Rest Day

Man, was I lazy today! I did hit the gym this morning, however I didn't do Stretch X. I was planning on it, but kept putting it off. Now that it's around 11pm, I'm just too tired to put in the effort. I was all-around lazy today...didn't really do anything that I wanted to, like get a resistance band. Sat around and watched TV. It was pretty wonderful, actually. You should try it sometime.

I'm skipping the gym tomorrow so I can sleep in and hopefully rejuvenate. That way, I can come at Chest & Back and Ab Ripper that much harder.

I'm going to take some measurements tomorrow to see if there have been any changes in the past 2 weeks. Maybe I'll post them. Or maybe I'll be lazy. ;)

And so ends week 2!

Day 13: Kenpo X

I love how easy things are getting! Kenpo went very well. I didn't take any extra breaks, and kept up with the P90X crew. I even was more coordinated! I did all the moves correctly. Yay! This makes me want to get a punching bag and use that for Kenpo. That'll make things so much harder, but much more fun!

One thing I did notice, though, is the carpeting in my apartment doesn't allow me to pivot very well while doing Kenpo. Kinda makes some of the moves slightly awkward, since my upper body moves and my lower body doesn't follow.

Day 12: Legs & Back, and Ab Ripper X

Legs & Back went better than last week. I managed to do all the reps along with the "kids." Even the 80/20 Siebers came easier. Wall squats are still awful, but I lasted longer this time around.

I think I will stop by Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up a resistance band as an adjunct to my pull-up bar.

I love how Ab Ripper just flies by. I still find the Roll-Up/V-Up Combo difficult, as well as Fifers. I'm getting impatient here! haha!

Week 2 is almost over! Wow!

Day 11: Yoga X

Today was another semi-bad day for me. I woke up at 4am, and when it came time to leave to hit the gym, I decided to go to bed instead. I wasn't waking up and felt kinda crappy. Figured I'd take a 2 hour nap, before getting back up at 7am to get ready for class. I decided that I'm not going to go to the gym tomorrow or Friday either, since I need more time to study for my final on Friday. I'll be back in the gym on Saturday.

On to P90X...I'm still not liking yoga! I think it's too long, so it's harder to keep my attention. Some moves are getting easier. Although, I'm not seeing any progress with Crane in particular. I remember doing those as a kid with no problems! I'm getting old! I'm noticing more flexibility, which is great!

At the end of the workout, I find Tony's breathing into his mic and his ohms very distracting. I'm torn between feeling awkward and laughing. It might be good to mute that part!

Day 10: Shoulders & Arms, and Ab Ripper X

Today was just bad for me. My butt was dragging the whole day. I got up a little after 4am to be at the gym by 5 to do some running and some lifting. I only actually ran for 5 min and walked on an incline for 25 min. I just had no energy. Bleck.

I even felt like I half-assed Shoulders & Arms too. I still did all the reps with a good amount of weight, but I was just very sluggish. Just one of those days, I suppose.

On a positive note, I'm not that sore. I'm slightly sore in some areas, but NOTHING like it was last week. Not even close. Additionally, fifer scissors are getting easier! Yesss!! Still not very pretty, but it'll come with time.

Not really looking forward to doing yoga tomorrow. Although, all the workouts seem to be better the second time around, so hopefully the same will go for yoga.

Day 9: Plyometrics

I love plyo! Love it. I'm thinking this is my favorite workout. Again, this time around was easier. I took less breaks than I did last week. But I still got my sweat on and my face was flushed afterwards. I feel great! The best part of the video is the very end when the exercises are more sports-specific. There were certain moves I took slightly easier, like the Mary Katherine lunges, because I had noticed that my right hamstring was in some pain when I had it stretched. After I was done with plyo, I took a shower, and, as I was shaving my legs (TMI?), I saw a bruise on my right hamstring about 2 inches in diameter. That would explain the pain I had felt!

In addition to P90X, I've been hitting the new wellness center my school has built to do some running on the treadmill and use machines. The machines I use are specific to what P90X has scheduled for me that day. For instance, yesterday was chest and back day, so I used machines that worked those areas. I miss machines!

Last POWERade Zero review...I tried grape today, and it tastes like medicine. Not cool, man. Not cool. Come out with more flavors, please!

Start of Week 2, Day 8: Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X

Chest & Back went by so quickly! Last week, I remember it seemed to take FOREVER to get through the workout. What a huge turnaround! I don't feel nearly as exhausted, and my arms don't feel like Jell-O (although, I can feel something in my arms...it's not like I didn't work them out!). Maybe it's psychological, maybe my neuromuscular system is adapting. Either way, this created a huge surge in my confidence. I will be able to get through the 90 days! Woo!

I can say the same for Ab Ripper X. It went by in no time. I can't help but smile when we're about to do the Mason Twist when Tony says that we may do some extra and he licks his lips. His little quirks and phrases are growing on me.

I looked on Ebay for yoga blocks. I didn't realize how expensive they are for what they are. $20 for 2 blocks? Really? It's just foam. So, I think I'm going to wait a bit until I get my Dick's Sporting Goods rewards certificate and go that route. Free is good.

Day 7: X Stretch

Wow, did it feel ever so good to stretch after a rough week! Is it me or was the ballistic hamstring stretch virtually the same as fifer scissors? I'm only asking because I couldn't do fifers, and I could do about half of the reps of the hamstring stretch. Granted, it wasn't pretty because I can't straighten my legs...but still, I could at least get my legs off the floor. I'm starting to see some results already!

And so ends week 1 of my P90X journey. I'll be weighing myself tomorrow for my usual weekly weighing. Bring on week 2!

Day 6; Kenpo X

Kenpo X was fun! It reminded me a bit of TaeBo and kickboxing. My form was not great at all. I would confuse moves and do them in the wrong order! Jab, cross, hook, uppercut, front kick, side kick, mule kick, triple axel, plie, cha-cha-cha, grab your partner and dosado! I'm pretty sure that was at least one of the exercises. I need a nap just thinking about it.

TGIF! I'm glad this week is almost over! This was probably the worst week I could've chosen to start P90X, but I toughed it out even though I'm exhausted. I just have to remain tough for the next two weeks, because things are very hectic with school.

Day 5: Legs & Back, and Ab Ripper X

I forgot how much I hate lunges. Oh, and I hate the wall squat! This definitely was not a fun workout for me. I much prefer machines for legs (hopefully that'll change as I become stronger and thus less frustrated). I really like to complain, huh?

For those of you who are further along in your P90X journey, at what point were you starting to do pull-ups without the use of a chair (assuming you weren't able to do pull-ups to begin with)? As of now, I do all pull-ups with the assistance of a chair, but I was debating on purchasing a resistance band to help facilitate the process of doing pull-ups on my own. Meaning, I do as many assisted pull-ups as possible, then do extra with a band. However, if using a chair is effective on its own to enable you to do pull-ups, say, after a month, then I won't bother getting a new band.

I'm a little disappointed there isn't an additional Ab Ripper X workout. I think it would've been nice to have some variation, considering we do it 3 times a week.

I tried the strawberry POWERade Zero. That one is pretty good too. Almost tastes like slightly watered-down Kool-Aid.

Day 4: Yoga X

I was really looking forward to doing yoga today, despite my lack of flexibility. I'm still a little sore all over, so I figured yoga would be a more low-intensity workout than the others, and I wanted to stretch out my tight muscles! However, I was a bit disappointed in it in some aspects. The first 30-45 minutes or so were a little boring to me, probably because a lot of it was repeating the same positions over and over (or so it seemed to me). Because of this, it felt like forever for this video to end. I had some difficulty with maintaining balance with some of the positions, and I don't have great form yet, because I'm so inflexible (I can't straighten my legs, can't touch my toes, etc.). Due to this, I think I may pick up some yoga blocks for the standing positions where you have to touch the floor...I can't remember which position it was, but I saw one of the guys using the yoga block for it. I just have to keep pushing through with it, and keep telling myself that I'll become more flexible and yoga will be less frustrating for me.

On the other hand, I loved how it all made my muscles feel! The stretching hurt because of how sore I am, but it was a good hurt. After completing it, I don't feel as sore anymore. Awesome! I really think yoga will be my "I hate it, but I love it" workout.

Another side note: I really like how Tony constantly reassures his viewers that it's okay to take more/longer breaks than what's allotted in the videos. That, and how he'll even stop in the middle of a set and take a mini-break before finishing. It's nice to see that even these insanely ripped people aren't perfect either. Additionally, I like all the modified moves...it seems as though they generally provide 3 modifications per exercise to make it easier, moderate, or harder. Good work P90X!

Day 3: Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X

I'm so freaking sore! Plyo worked me a little harder than I thought! My upper legs are absolutely killing me. It hurts to climb stairs, to sit down, and to get up from being seated. Oof! I had to give myself a pep talk to do today's workout, I must admit!

Okay, so the shoulders and arms routine was good. I really liked it. I chose slightly lower weights to pace myself, since I believe I went a little too hard during the chest and back day, which may be why I struggled to finish sets. However, I found the side tri-rise difficult, especially when using my left arm. I'm not sure it that's because it was the last exercise of the video or because it was slightly awkward. Also, I suggest starting out with a low weight for in & out straight-arm shoulder fly. I used 5 lbs for each shoulder and it was still painful to finish the set. Or maybe I just have really weak shoulders.

On a side note, I bought some POWERade Zero, because I try not to take in any calories from liquids, but wanted something to give me some electrolytes. So far, I've tried mixed berry...pretty good! I recommend it if you're looking for a sports drink that has no calories.

Day 2: Plyometrics

This was much easier for me to do than the pull-ups from yesterday's workout. Although, this was still a tough workout. I took more breaks than what was allotted during the video...pressed pause a bunch of times, modified a few of the exercises. This definitely gets the heart rate going! Looking foward to doing this without taking all the breaks!

Day 1: Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X

CHEST & BACK
I started this DVD knowing that this wasn't going to be good. Push-ups and pull-ups are my weaknesses. I modified the exercises by doing all push-ups on my knees and used a chair to assist with my pull-ups. I used 15 lbs weights for the exercises that involved free weights. I also took longer breaks between each move, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do any reps for the next exercise. I felt like Jell-o after the first run-through. I decided to take an extended break to recover, so I could come back strong for the 2nd time. Still, I crapped out during the second run-through despite my break. Now that it's said and done, I can really feel it in my arms, and I'm afraid of how they're going to feel tomorrow...

AB RIPPER X
I couldn't do 25 reps for most of the moves. In fact, I couldn't do any of the feifer scissors. Overall, this was a hard workout. It was one move to the next. It'll be nice when I can finally keep up with the video!