Supposed to be back and biceps but I am not a fan of the chin up bar in the basement so I decided that I would just hit the bar in the garage and see how I do at 100 pullups. I didn’t realize that there is a WOD (Angie) that calls for 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups and 100 squats and now I know that I feel even worse about hardly making it through the 100 pull ups. Could I have finished Angie? Not the way I felt after 16.5 minutes of pull up misery. Even though the pull ups would be by far the worst part of the workout, still, I was pretty beat up after my first attempt. It seems ridiculous when you think that for Cindy and Chelsea both contain 100 pull ups along with other things and I didn’t have a huge problem with them. Anyway, it didn’t help that it was only about 4 degrees in the garage and it was also Friday, my worst performing day of any week. Tony Horton calls himself pull up boy, myself, I think of myself as push up boy and since pull ups have always been a problem for me (in fact, I never did pull ups until 2 years ago, I just couldn’t) I probably shouldn’t be so hard on myself.
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 D44 – Plyometric Cardio Circuit & Kenpo??
You know, I almost did Kenpo today. Maybe my memories are foggy or I just got a pang of nostalgia but for a second there I actually missed Tony’s attempts at cardio workouts. Maybe I will sneak in a Kenpo this week somewhere just to go old school and get a longer, lazier workout done. The reality is that the insanity workouts are great but of course, after a while they get repetitive. That is the good thing about having a couple of sets to choose from, even after this long (322 days of BeachBody and counting) you can still go back to a video that you haven’t done in ages. For me, these are the cardio workouts from P90X. Not because they are bad necessarily, but they are anemic in comparison to Insanity. However, a change is as good as a rest so a sprinkling of Tony may be fun.
Instead though, I hustled my way through Plyometric Cardio Circuit, even though I think I was supposed to be doing Pure Cardio. The reason I like PCC is that it is not all cardio, there is an assortment of plank based moves too. For some reason that makes the time go by all the more quickly for me. I would say that this is probably my favourite Insanity workout. I would pick one of the Max workouts but for the fact that they are killers to get through due to the extra round.
I wonder if there is another set I could add to the mix. I don’t know off the top of my head if BB has any other workouts I may like to sub for Insanity, and I don’t really want to get into the Tony 1-on-1 system since I am not that invested. I am also leaning towards more Crossfit and maybe even less cardio, but I don’t want to lose what little endurance I have. Also, I still enjoy the Insanity part of my program, I guess I am just feeling a little unsettled. Max will cure me of that I am sure, either that or forcing myself to do Yoga X or ARX…
Today (Day 45) is P90X Back and Biceps so hopefully I will get this out of my system today and concentrate on which Crossfit WOD to do for tomorrow.
R4 D42 – P90X Chest and Triceps
I was forced to hurry today but even so without the shoulders part of the chest, triceps and shoulders routine the entire workout is around 30 minutes. I have made a habit of subbing dips for some of the lame tricep stuff since doing endless extensions with 35lbs isn’t going to do much. Since I had made my own dip station during the summer it is getting a real workout these days. I still value push ups as a workout tool, regardless of how often you do them, they are still one of the best overall chest cage workouts out there. Even with the limited variations that Tony provides, he gives you ideas to try and variations to make up on your own that will give almost endless possibilities. The triceps however remain an issue. The problem is that the triceps are far stronger than anyone gives them credit for and doing extensions with dumbbells simply isn’t good enough. You need close grip bench, dips or heavy pushdowns to get a decent tricep workout.
Round 4 Day 39 – Cardio, Power and Resistance
Today was a piece of cake. It was supposed to be Pure Cardio but since I did that last time I thought I would change it up and do CPR instead. This is a pretty easy workout as far as insanity goes, I am not sure why. Maybe because some of it is bodyweight work and I can do that all day. Anyway, I felt good, it went by in a flash and that is always good news. Of course, I wore my VFF’s and even though my big toenail is sore it didn’t feel sore in the shoes.
My FitDay process is also still going strong but I seem to really lack behind in my calorie count. I am down 15lbs in about 4 weeks though so I guess that is why. My strength isn’t down, neither is my cardio so I guess everything is still OK. I do have a lot to burn still, being 265 isn’t exactly borderline supermodel so I am not going to start worrying just yet.
Round 4 Day 34 – Pure Cardio, Pure Hell
Yesterday I started using Fitday as I noted and was amazed at how little calories I ate. Most likely due to the fact I am eating Paleo which basically just means real food. I am staggered at how much fruit and vegetables it takes to reach even 2500Â calories, never mind 4000! So I knew I was undernourished (a little) and I think it messed with my head during my workout. Now I do have a bery sick wife and a sick baby at home so it is entirely possible that I am coming down with something however, I think I faked myself into thinking I was tired due to the fact I only managed 1500 calories before my workout. You would think, given my copious amounts of stored “energy” that I would be fine on the fuel front… apparently not so. And for those people who are claiming that I am on a high protein, low carb diet, check out my stats on Fit Day and tell me that 48% of calories from carbs is low carb…
Anyway, I am trying to eat more today before my workout to try and up my energy level but also to prevent having to scarf down 2500 calories late in the day. I am at almost 1100 and it is 1:30pm.
So I didn’t feel good at all yesterday during the workout. I didn’t skip it however, and I didn’t even duck out early, I gave it what I could and saw it through to the end. Thankfully I am doing such a varied mix of workouts right now because I don’t know if I could face another Insanity workout today. Instead, before I go to coaching I have to do a gym workout of chest and triceps regardless of the fact I am listed as having a day off. This is due to the fact that I inadvertently had to take off Saturday since we didn’t get back from dinner with friends at 6 like Nicole said but rather at around 11! I had taken Thursday off also which left me short on workouts and long on laziness. So I think I will try to make it to Friday this week and take that as my rest day.
Which brings me to planning for my WOD tomorrow. Since I have back and biceps the following day I don’t want to go crazy with pullups so I think I will be looking for something more squat and jump or shoulders and abs…
I am also on the brink of bringing in the chin up bar from the deck and installing it in the garage. However, I know once I do this I will be restricted to doing my chin ups upstairs rather than out on the deck. I did consider not moving the bar at all and sticking with the outdoors all winter but I can’t see myself doing chin ups in sweats, a wooly hat and gloves! It’s just the timing I am worried about. That and maybe taking the plunge and doing the whole workout in the garage while the bar is in there. But I don’t have an insulated garage and it is often -10 or colder in there during the winter months. Hopefully we will get a mild winter and I will be able to withstand the cold. Ugh, I hate the thought of having my well established routine messed with…
Round 4 (Phase 2) Day 29 – Chest and Tri (No Shoulders)
I have made a subtle mistake in my schedule. There seems to be too much chest in this second part of the schedule. My goal was to take the shoulder work out of the Chest Triceps and Shoulders routine so that my gym days would not include all 3 body parts. However, I seem to have mixed up the order and got an additional chest workout in there. This 3 weeks are based on my old gym workouts, a 3 day split with no legs however due to the fact I am doing Crossfit workouts and Insanity cardio, legs just aren’t necessary. If you saw my quads you would agree 😉
So I have modified the schedule a little (and gone back and noted the change in the previous posts) and come up with this for the next 4 weeks. Note that I have changed from a 4 on 1 off to a 6 on 1 off which given the failure to stick to my schedule so far probably won’t matter.
29 P90X Chest & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
30 Max Interval Plyo
31 P90X Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
32 WOD with Pullups
33 GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
34 Pure Cardio
35 OFF
36 GYM Â Chest and Triceps
37 WOD with Pullups
38 GYM Back & Biceps
39 Pure Cardio
40 GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
41 WOD with Pullups
42 OFF
43 P90X Chest & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
44 Pure Cardio
45 P90X Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
46 WOD with Pullups
47 GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
48 Max Interval Plyo
49 OFF
50 FOY Yoga
51 Core Cardio and Balance
52 Core Synergistics
53 FOY Yoga
54 OFF
29 P90X Chest & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
30 Max Interval Plyo
31 P90X Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
32 WOD with Pullups
33 GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
34 Pure Cardio
35 OFF
36 GYM Â Chest and Triceps
37 WOD with Pullups
38 GYM Back & Biceps
39 Pure Cardio
40 GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
41 WOD with Pullups
42 OFF
43 P90X Chest & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
44 Pure Cardio
45 P90X Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
46 WOD with Pullups
47 GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
48 Max Interval Plyo
49 OFF
50 FOY Yoga
51 Core Cardio and Balance
52 Core Synergistics
53 FOY Yoga
54 OFF
So for day 29 I did the Chest and Tricep portion of Chest Tri and Shoulders. It was about 30 minutes but was actually hard on me since you don’t get the rest of doing shoulders. It is basically a quick circuit of chest and triceps. Since I am doing dips instead of some of the stupid and frankly useless tricep moves Tony provides, my triceps get an awesome workout.
Following such a good day I was disappointed in my Insanity Plyo workout for day 30. For some reason I felt listless and tired. I didn’t make it through many of the sections and given that each one is only an minute that really sucked. Hopefully it was just a reflection of too few calories or not enough sleep.
Round 4 Day 24 – Chelsea
Day 20 – Rest
Day 21 – P90X Â Chest and Back
Day 22 – Insanity Cardio Power and Conditioning
Day 23 – Today.
The plan is to do a 20 minute Chelsea. Chelsea is supposed to be 30 minutes but I don’t think I need the extra physical stress that the extra 10 minutes would inevitably bring. Of course, not having done Chelsea before I may not make it to 20…
Each minute on the minute for 30 minutes
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats
Your score is the minute that you fail to complete the exercise. If you fail to do the 11th set on the 11th minute your score is 10. If you pass the 30 minutes, you can score Chelsea as Chelsea +3 if you managed to go to 33 minutes.
I will be wearing my new Vibram Five Fingers and I also wore them to do my insanity workout yesterday. So far so good.
.. The aftermath…
My official Chelsea score: 21.
The whole workout from music on to music off was under 30 minutes. It was a tough one, but very enjoyable. However it was a rude awakening that the first time I did the circuit it took me almost 45 seconds. It was then I realized that regardless of how little work it seemed, it was going to be tough. There was not a chance in hell that I was going to make 30 minutes though. Everything seemed to give out at once. I was suddenly struggling and dropping off the bar at 4 pull ups. I was still strong with the push ups but getting back up to do the squats was eating my seconds. Chelsea was good. I will try again for sure but the goal of 30 seems so so far away…
Round 4 Day 15 – Rest Day
My first official rest day, up to now I have been so off schedule I haven’t been able to string together enough days to warrant it…
Round 4 Day 14 – The Last 2 and Officially Paleo
I did Shoulders and Arms last night with Tony. I actually skipped the last section because I was feeling a bit off. Maybe it is the change in my diet, not having the sugar and processed grains really means a weird effect on your energy levels. I have done this before, prior to my wedding in 2007 I spent the whole summer off wheat and actually toyed for a while with completely raw food. However, I am many things, not least of which is a meat eater. I am not sorry, I won’t apologise for it and I refuse to be strong-armed by the passive aggressive vegan idiots who say meat is murder and whatever other amusing catch phrases they have come up with. Dog on a plate? , are you having a laugh? They eat dog in Korea. It’s all a matter of perspective and the fact is that without the meat eating public, there wouldn’t be enough food to go around, especially if the Organic wannabes have their way and get rid of the food industry giants that are keeping us all alive. But I digress.
My menu of choice then is Paleo. For the last 4 days in fact I have been completely grain free and apart from the usual headache and lethargy that accompanies any major change in diet it hasn’t been bad. When I went on the brown rice diet in 07 to isolate what it was that was making me so sick I found the same. About a week of feeling horrible and then almost as if coming out of a cocoon I felt awesome. I also found out that I have an intolerance for both wheat and naturopaths. So I quit both and have been more aware of my issues ever since. I am not going to sugar coat things here, it is VERY hard to get off grains especially if you are going all out and basically just eat fruit, veg and protein. It seems like everything you see is grain based and that is very true. But if you can start off and then work at finding things you can eat, you really can make it work and I can’t even begin to explain how good you will feel off that white processed powder, er, flour. Sadly I have other issues. I am almost completely intolerant of the nightshade family that includes peppers, potato and tomatoes. Potato isn’t too bad but if I eat a little raw tomato my acid reflux becomes so bad it almost incapacitates me. Peppers make me fart but happily hot sauce of which I am a HUGE fan doesn’t seem to have the same effect. So for now I am off potato too. Believe me, this couldn’t be harder but I think in a month when I look back, I will at least have more information about my body and how it reacts than I do now.
Today is my Crossfit workout and I haven’t decided what yet. If I can’t decide I think it may be Fran again this time with dumbells to take the strain off my wrists.
Round 4 Day 12 – I Hate Cindy (and a throwback to day 4)
So Day 9 was as promised, a version of Cindy however I only managed 15 minutes not the full 20. After 1 round I felt like I was going to die. I managed 13 rounds in the 15 minutes. It was odd though, I thought my chest would explode after 2 rounds but then I think my brain shut off to protect me from myself and suddenly there was 2 minutes to go. My heart rate hasn’t been that high in a VERY long time. I think I was over 160bpm for almost the whole thing!
I found a piece of paper this morning with my workout from Day 4 and realized that I had inadvertently done what I had interpreted as Fran. I was disappointed since this week I had it in my head that I was over Cindy and moving to Fran but now I have to find another partner.
FWIW these are the “real” versions of Cindy and Fran:
Cindy
AMRAP 20 minutes
5 pull-ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats (Air Squats)
Fran
For time (I am not sure how they measure the required weights however)
21 thrusters
21 pull-ups
15 thrusters
15 pull-ups
9 thrusters
9 pull-ups
As I stated at the top, Cindy almost crushed me but surprised me at how high I could get my HR to go and also surprised me at how proud I was of myself even though I had only managed 15 minutes not the full 20.
I can tell, I am going to be inventing my own versions, naming them after people I detest and touting them as the “I once had and injury so I can’t do burpees” versions for the still tentative crowd.