Chest, Shoulders and Arms.
So P90X took a back seat to the flooring. I knew it would have to so I was prepared. Besides, the flooring installation was the kind of thing that is the reason that I was doing P90X in the first place. The ability to work like a normal person, to work through days of back breaking floorboard installation and the constant stand-up-kneel-down that is required to get that particular job done.
The bottom line is that I made it through. I said before I started that Yoga was going to do my floors and I was right. I was amazed at how many times Yoga sprang into mind as I worked the floors. All those lunges, the savasanas, the balance and strength poses all came into play. Most of all though, the constant level changes was what helped me out. My ability to get up from the floor quickly and to get down into position quickly saved me countless hours during the install. Towards the end of the first day I came to a pretty amazing revelation, that I would not have been able to do this floor at the pace I did if I had been working out my old way. Sure I would have been fit, but not anywhere near as flexible as I needed to be. In fact, I can almost guarantee that if I had tried to do the floor before P90X came along that I would have been in bed on day 2 unable to move due to my tight hamstring and ITB pulling my back out. That in itself is a huge deal. The fact that I was able to do 5 days of install and come back to work without feeling much soreness or pain is virtually unbelievable. I guess it is true what these P90X grads say, that you do get in the best shape of your life and that you are able to do things you wouldn’t have been able to do 10 or even 20 years ago. Honestly, the last time I would have been able to do something like that would have been when I put the floor in the basement and even then I remember my back went out, it took me weeks to finish and I was a mess for ages afterwards. Previous to that I would have to go back to the late 90s before I started having back problems and that was 10 years ago.
Today I did day 73, I was a little off my numbers from the last time I did that particular workout but I felt great. I made it through Ab Ripper with very little problems and I was amazed at how little strength I had lost. Then again, I did spend a huge amount of time on my triceps and arms and shoulders during the flooring. I don’t think my pullups will be the same, in fact I think that is the one thing that will have suffered the most through all this. No matter, it doesn’t take long to get back into the swing.
There are 2 things I now have to work on, sorry, make that 3.
1. Adjust the P90X program to get me back into the gym
2. Borrow some of the P90X moves to adapt for Gym coaching which starts tomorrow!!!
3. Finish the Nutritionist course and send in my exam.
Photos of the floor to come, just so you can see how I did 😉