Category: DVD Days P90X to Tapout XT

Everything I think about the workouts. Including some weights, reps and sets etc. Detailed as much as I can remember or is relevant.

R4 Finale – Fit Test Weekend

start-finishLast time I did this I thought I was in pretty good shape, I was part way through Round 4 when I did the Insanity Test which you would assume would make me already pretty fit. The P90X test results are from the end of Round 1 and my failed attempt to go back to the gym, right before starting round 2. That being said, I am pretty disappointed in the heart rate section. I don’t know if it was because I did burpees to get my heart rate up and therefore was using more muscle groups that doing Jumping Jacks. Whatever the reason, my recovery does not seem to be very good. However, subjectively I feel like I am recovering quickly. Maybe I should leave an Insanity workout in my schedule just to keep my cardio and endurance up a little. Does a resting heart rate of 70 seem high to anyone else? Sitting here at my desk, my heart rate is a more comforting 60bpm…

So now I have my results I don’t really see any glaring areas that I need to improve upon other than 2 things. First I obviously need to change my body composition, which is underway. Second I need to show some measurable improvements in my strength because shorter workout times have me worrying about losing strength and muscle mass. So all that remains now is to put together Round 5 – The Exit Strategy.

P90X Fit Test

Resting Heart Rate   70 (+0)
Pull-Ups   16 (+9)
Vertical Leap Inches   18 (+5)
Push-Ups   50 (I got bored after 50…again)
Toe-Touch+2″ (+3″)
Wall Squat (Seconds)   90 (+30)
Bicep Curls (Reps | Wt )   25@35lbs
Total Poundage   875 (+75)
In & Outs   50 (+0)

Heart Rate Maximizer (Done after Burpees not Jumping Jacks, so not really comparable)

Immediately After   150
After 1 Minute Rest   141
After 2 Minutes Rest125
After 3 Minutes Rest116
After 4 Minutes Rest95

Measurements

Weight 249.0 (-29lbs)
Body Fat % 21.7% (-5.12%)
Chest 46.25 (-3.75″)
Waist 43 (-1″)
Hips43.00 (-3″)
Neck17.75 (-1.5″)
Right Thigh 26 (+1″)
Left Thigh27 (+2″)
Right Bicep 18.25 (+.25″)
Left Bicep19 (+1.25″)

Insanity Fit Test:

Switch Kicks – 145 (+20)
Power Jacks – 50 (+0)
Power Knees – 114 (+0 Very odd)
Power Jumps – 27 (+27 did 0 last time)
Globe Jumps – 11 (-3)
Suicide Jumps – 12 (+1)
Push Up Jacks - 50 (+0)
Low Plank Oblique – 40 (+4)

Previous P90X Fit Test

Resting Heart Rate   70
Pull-Ups   5
Vertical Leap Inches   13
Push-Ups   50 (I got bored after 50…)
Toe-Touch-1″
Wall Squat (Seconds)   65
Bicep Curls (Reps | Wt )   40@20lbs
Total Poundage   800
In & Outs   50

Heart Rate Maximizer

Immediately After   150
After 1 Minute Rest   123
After 2 Minutes Rest106
After 3 Minutes Rest99
After 4 Minutes Rest93

Fitness LevelsDay 1

Weight278.00
Body Fat %26.82%
Chest50
Waist44.00
Hips46.00
Neck19.00
Right Thigh 25
Left Thigh26
Right Bicep 18
Left Bicep17.75

Previous Insanity Fit Test:

Switch Kicks                125
Power Jacks                  50
Power Knees                 114 (on weak side)
Globe Jumps                   14
Suicide Jumps              11
Push Up Jacks              50
Low Plank Oblique     36

R4 D74 – Beginning of the End

Since without a plan, nothing ever happens, here is the push to the end for Round 4.

W 74 – TGU plus WOD
R 75 –  RKC Swings
F 76 – P90X and Insanity Fit Tests
S 77 – 5K run
Y 78 – off

M 01 – Round 5

That should about do it. I am at Wednesday now and the way I figure it I should be able to put round 4 to bed and get Round 5 ready to go by Monday. It’s going to be a bit weird, since my workouts have been somewhat sporadic over the last 2 weeks but I think there is still some value to doing the fit tests anyway. For what it’s worth, my weight is down, my back seems to be bothering me much less and my feet seem to enjoy doing everything barefoot so all in all I suppose I am reaching my goals of general fitness and as Tony puts it, “less vulnerable and more durable” out in the real world. The question is, what is my fitness goal for the next round? I think I am at the point where I need to start documenting weights again. Much as I wanted to get away from that particular facet of working out, I think at this point I need to see my reps and max weights increasing in order to justify my efforts. Moving away from following a DVD schedule means you are vulnerable to coasting and losing sight of the goal at hand. Since I will be moving towards more Olympic style lifting and Crossfit type work, I guess note taking will be par for the course.

R4 D67/8 – Chest and Back (100%), Cardio Plyo (100%)

Santa-Workout1Getting back into your schedule is often harder than you think. The best way, then, is just to shut up and do as you are told. So I stuck with Tony and the gang and did the whole workout without skipping. It was a relief, gave me a great workout and got my focus back. It was a little odd doing the long slow weights thing again but made a nice change from the HIIT stuff I was doing before. I did find it challenging going at a slower pace though. I got a little restless about half way through, but instead of rushing ahead and skipping the time on the DVD I chose to rest, push out a few more reps and keep pace. I was so inspired that the next day I did the same with Shaun T and did Plyo Cardio but included all 3 rounds of the warmup and did every exercise as Rx’d. It was actually easy to keep pace and not think about it instead of planning which bits to skip and how to modify the workout. Since this is a reintroduction of sorts after a few days off, it has made the transition much easier.

It’s now Christmas Eve and I have to plan the next few days, there will be lots of food which is OK, but I really need to keep some sort of workout schedule going even if it is in room calisthenics at the Motel 6!

So I did a quick search for Hotel Room workouts. I found this which is uninspiring to say the least, this turbulence training bit which is more like it and finally an entire site dedicated to working out on the road. It’s really not rocket science, I mean the pushup and the squat / lunge are the basis for most of these workouts, so throw in some creativity and you should be all set.

R4 D64 – Chest, Shoulders and Tri (P90X loses again)

kbinfo_onearmsnatchI decided that I would modify my work yet again and this time develop a short workout that I could measure for rounds and time. That means you take certain movements and repeat them to failure which will give you both a repetition goal and a time goal. For me, because it was chest, shoulders and triceps I did bench with 135 lbs (due to my still sore shoulder), kettlebell swings or snatches with 25lbs and bar dips.

AMRAP

10 bench press (should be bodyweight) 135lb
10 single arm KB swings with 25lb (should be 35lb or 55lb) Technically I did one arm snatches, weight going above my head.
10 bar dips
Result: 7 rounds in about 22 minutes.

I managed to get through 7 rounds before my KB swings gave out. I was disappointed that I couldn’t bench my bodyweight for the workout but since my shoulder is still tender, although much better, I have to be careful. Surprisingly the KB swings didn’t hurt but were damn hard work. That was the first time I had ever worked KB swings into a workout, mostly because I don’t have KBs but use dumbbells instead. There is a great deal of technique involved with the KB swings and I don’t recommend doing them without doing a good deal of research into form before you start. THere are plenty of videos on youtube that will show you shockingly bad form and could lead to injury so do some searching and find input from people who are certified to teach the KB workouts.

I found a good site HERE with a list of available and recommended form for KB movements.

R4 D62 – It’s Snowing! Max Plyo Cardio and Shovelling X

invisible-snow-shovelI literally dragged myself through this workout. Maybe I am overtraining, that did come into my mind again. Maybe I should be sticking to 3 on 1 off or 4 on 1 off. I don’t know but what I do know is that it is harder than ever to keep going through the workouts. Maybe my carbs are too low, maybe my GI intake is too low, I am not certain. When I look at my fitday though, it seems like I should be feeling better than I am. That is why I think maybe it is overtraining not out of whack eating. I am scheduled to do a major workout today, P90X chest shoulders and tri and it may not be prudent given that it will be my 5th workout in a row with a preceding set of several 4 and 5 workout stretches behind me. Trouble is, I don’t feel better when I don’t work out for a day and that scares me. I do realize now I think about it that my sleep isn’t where it should be. Maybe that is the issue, an extra 2 hours a night might fix me up completely. For now, I will soldier on with the CS&T today and see what tomorrow (rest day) feels like. I did shovel for about 25 minutes this morning too, at 530am which was an unexpected surprise.

BTW I was down only 1lb this past week, currently at 258.0

R4 D58/59 – Different This Time

Day 58 – Off.

Day 59 – Shoulders and Arms P90X Style. Due to my lingering injury I was unable to do anything close to my regular weights but there is something kid of liberating about doing hundreds of reps with a light weight. For each round where Tony encourages you to do 6-8 reps for size I opted to do 30 if I had time. It made for a nonstop hectic workout but the time flew and my shoulder actually felt OK even with the upright rows. I did some body weight dips which I was surprised at since i thought they would be too painful to perform. I think my shoulder is getting better fast, the pain is certainly less than half what it was 2 days ago which is a great sign.

six_pack_abs_coupleMy weight seems to have stagnated a little. However, this loss is totally different than any other weight loss I can remember. Usually when I am able to lose weight, I seem to shrink all over and end up as a smaller, lighter version of me. In other words, I don’t think my body composition changes much, I lost muscle and fat and end up being a mini me. This time however I find that my body fat is disappearing and I am really starting to see a change in the basic shape of my body. For once my waistline seems to have been the first thing to change and my pants are all falling off. It’s a bit weird, this has not happened before other than when I was at Western and got down to 11% fat but then again I was only 190lbs. I am hoping that this week is just a readjustment week which often happens after a certain amount of loss. Your body seems to take a breather before scaling down once again. It’s certainly no time to get discouraged since the Paleo lifestyle seems extremely easy to follow and is providing some amazing results. We will have to see what my official weight is on Sunday but as of now I am the same as I was last Sunday, albeit a slightly different shape!

Towards The Light

56 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
57 Max Cardio
58 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
59 OFF
60 WOD with Pullups
61 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
62 Max Interval Plyo
63 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
64 OFF
65 WOD with Pullups
66 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
67 Max Interval Circuit
68 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
69 OFF
70 WOD with Pullups
71 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
72 Max Cardio
73 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
74 OFF
75 WOD with Pullups
76 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
77 Max Interval Circuit
78 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
79 OFF
80 P90X Fit Test & Insanity Fit Test
81 Max Rep Pullups 10 min max
82 5K Timed Run
83 Max Rep Bench 10 min max
84 FINISH!!

The next few weeks which I can’t help feeling will be usurped by my every growing love for the Crossfit HIIT type training. But, there’s nothing like a plan is there? Also, I know it says “FINISH!!” but let’s be honest this is really just a new beginning especially given the Paleo diet that is working wonders. I have to think that 6 months from now I will be a different person if only physically than I am now. That will be the first time I haven’t had to go on a “summer diet” to satisfy my ridiculous sense of self.

56 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
57 Max Cardio
58 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
59 OFF
60 WOD with Pullups
61 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
62 Max Interval Plyo
63 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
64 OFF
65 WOD with Pullups
66 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
67 Max Interval Circuit
68 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
69 OFF
70 WOD with Pullups
71 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
72 Max Cardio
73 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
74 OFF
75 WOD with Pullups
76 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
77 Max Interval Circuit
78 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
79 OFF
80 P90X Fit Test & Insanity Fit Test
81 Max Rep Pullups 10 min max
82 5K Timed Run
83 Max Rep Bench 10 min max
84 FINISH!!

R4 D52-D55 Resting and Meeting Elizabeth

Not Paleo, I abstainedR4 D53 – Coached 3 hours, so no time or energy to work out.
R4 D54 – X Stretch the most uneventful workout on the planet.
R4 D55 – Sunday, coming back into the workouts from 4 days of ‘rest’ workouts.

 

Elizabeth
21 – 15 – 9 Reps
135lb Clean
Ring Dips
Elizabeth:
21 – 15 – 9 Reps
135lb Clean
Ring Dips
Elizabeth was a rude awakening after such a nice few days taking it easy and recuperating. I feel like I slightly over stretched my lower back so it was a relief have a couple of easy days. That said, it was also great to get my teeth back into a decent hard work workout, even though Elizabeth is a very short workout. Since my weightloss is going well, I had planned a reward for getting to 260lbs and I had in mind that I wanted another Olympic bar and some weights to go in the garage during the winter and out on the lower deck during the summer. The reason is that doing Olympic lifts in the basement makes me nervous. Especially if the baby is in her bouncer watching, there are mirrors, a TV and plenty of stuff that would not take well to occupying the same space as the end of a 7ft steel bar. So the easy thing would be to do the lifts I can in the garage where there is a chin up bar and a wall ball and a floor to do push ups on. I figure if I am doing crossfit, I may as well make it realistic! My dip bars were so easy to make I may make up another set for the garage too, just for convenience and I have in mind to make 2 or 3 jump up boxes also.
Back to Elizabeth. Since I was nervous, I didn’t quite do the workout as Rx’d rather instead of letting the bar down to the floor and waking up the baby I kept it against my thighs and did the clean from there. I didn’t make all 21 or in fact all 15 in a row anyway so I ended up doing a few of the full rep cleans anyway. I also only was using 95lb since I am still getting used to doing the Olympic lifts after many many years away from them. I find that my old body is taking  some time to get used to the grip style again and in fact my biggest challenge does seem to be hand positioning. Maybe it is from too many years of benching heavily but my wrists are certainly not as flexible as they should be.
So the workout was under 15 minutes I think. So short in fact that I had toyed with the idea of doing it a second time once we got back from the Gymnastics competition we were attending but instead we went to Demetre Caffe and had ice cream.

R4 D50 – What’s The Frequency Kenneth?

If I could, would I want to?

Frequency, consistency, repetition.

That is my problem with Yoga. The fact that I don’t work it in enough to get used to it or any good at it means every time I do it I feel a mixture of great and mind numbingly sore. The only consistent part is the constant disappointment I have with my flexibility. Of course, we will have to see if losing 50lbs or more helps with my flexibility or if it truly is a muscle mobility thing and not a layer of fat thing. Not that I have a thick layer, but there is probably more than there should be and according to the useless BMI scale I am “very obese” at 6ft and 260lbs.

So I took Tony to the basement and did Fountain of Youth Yoga, a far more appealing session than the P90X version however at the same time slightly less satisfying. It is quicker, no doubt, but maybe that is not the best thing about it. I think maybe I was more in the mood for stretching than actual yoga so possibly I wasn’t quite in the right frame of mind. Whatever it was, I struggled and by the end my back felt more sore than at the start. However, you can’t always count on soreness as an indication of wellness. I was OK before I started, but I know I was tight and immobile. When I finished I was in more pain but was far more mobile which in the long run is a better place to be.

On to the rest of “rest week 2”.

R4 D50 – Rest Week Part II

Since I am not strictly sticking to the 6 days on 1 off routine of P90X or Insanity, I am thinking that a whole week of rest is going to be a little excessive. So since a change is as good as a rest I am thinking that 4 days should suffice and of those 4 days 2 should be Yoga for the simple reason that I haven’t done it in a while and my tolerance is way up for twisting myself into a ball and trying to wrap my spine into a twizzler. I thought I was going to bag my rest week plan and sub some Crossfit instead but now I look at the schedule, it actually seems pretty appealing.

That means yoga tonight.

Well, at least I can rest assured that I will be on par with these ladies:

Namaste TV Bloopers

Follow Yoga (Fountain of Youth Yoga) with Core, Cardio and Balance and then Core Synergistics and you have a pretty quiet week with lots of muscle lengthening stretching and flexibility. On thr 4th day I may even go the whole hog and do Yoga X… We shall see.

As far as my workout schedule is going, I read this today over at “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and liked it’s simplicity.

How about a weekly plan?

Monday – Strength training – Upper body pushing movement [Anaerobic – ATP]

Tuesday – Sprints [Anaerobic – ATP + glycogen]

Wednesday – Strength training – Upper body pulling movement [Anaerobic – ATP]

Thursday – Yoga/slow biking/walking/jogging for 30-50 mins [Aerobic]

Friday – 10-20min high intensity conditioning workout [Anaerobic – ATP + glycogen]

Saturday – Strength training – Lower body [Anaerobic – ATP]

Sunday – Rest