DVD Days P90X to Tapout XT – Page 23 – Something Beats Nothing Every Time

Round 3 – Work outside! Day 23 – 26.

I got tired of waiting for the garage to be cleaned so I could work out so I decided that as I built the new decks outside I would throw up a chin up bar. I also thought that using a piece of fencing railing which is quite thick (2″) would give me some grip strength benefit too. I also finally got around to making the dip / push up stands which seem wobbly so I may have to do some stability work on them to get them to be safe for use. I will be posting pics as soon as my hosting company gets their stuff sorted out. I also want to get a small stand made for some of my dumbbells to get them off the floor and some other smaller fitness related stuff.

Wow, talk about customer service… Dreamhost fixed my issue already.

Day 23 – 26

Cardio Power and Resistance
Shoulders and Arms + ARX
Pure Cardio
Legs and Back

Unfortunately I got caught out with having to take 2 days off this week due to unforseen baby issues. However, so far so good, the mix of insanity and P90X is keeping me entertained and challenged and in fact this week I start the Max Insanity sessions so that will be, well, painful I am sure.

Round 3 – Days 6-21 and The Outline

So speaking to many people who have done at least one round of P90X they all seem to say the same thing, that once you are finished it’s time to work something else into the program. Most of them cite the hatred of at least one of the P90X DVDs as the main reason the others say its just a fact of variety. Myself, I have chosen Insanity and Fountain of Youth Yoga to help me along. I documented the first 6 days of my 3rd go around and since I have been sticking pretty well to my plan I thought I would outline it here with 2 stipulations.

1. This is not a weekly program. It is not do 6 days on and 1 day off. It is based on your schedule of breaks, do what you can when you can and rest when you must. Although the schedule adheres to the 7 day routine, by now I think we all understand that the schedule must be flexible.
2. It is not set in stone. There are options to do FOYY or any other oddball workouts you feel like on the days you need a change. Some days you know what you need, some days you don’t. If you feel like you could use a break and do a fit test to see where you are with your fitness then go for it.

The Outline below is based on the following:

Week 1 – 4 Phase 1 Regular Cardio

Week 5 – 7 Phase 2 Mixed Cardio

Week 8 – Rest Week

Week 9 – 12 Phase 3 Max Cardio

Week 1 – 4 Phase 1 Regular Cardio

Week 5 – 7 Phase 2 Mixed Cardio

Week 8 – Rest Week

Week 9 – 12 Phase 3 Max Cardio

The last week was the biggest let down for me with P90X since it is actually a rest week. I felt like I had been working towards something for 90 days and deserved a finale so this time around I am going to work out a handful of workouts that will test me for the last week and see what I can do with the new level of fitness I have achieved. For me, this may include a 5K or 10K run and a day of to-failure chinups and pushups and v-snaps. We will have to see but this time around my 90 days will go out with a bang not a whimper.

I have been doing this for 3 weeks now and this is how it has looked so far:

1 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X 6/7/2010

2 Plyometric Cardio Circuit 6/8/2010

3 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X 6/9/2010

4 Cardio Power and Resistance 6/10/2010

5 OFF 6/11/2010

6 Fountain of Youth Yoga 6/12/2010

7 Pure Cardio 6/13/2010

8 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 6/14/2010

9 Plyometric Cardio Circuit 6/15/2010

10 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X 6/16/2010

11 Cardio Power and Resistance 6/17/2010

12 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X 6/18/2010

13 Pure Cardio 6/19/2010

14 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 6/20/2010

15 Plyometric Cardio Circuit 6/21/2010

16 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X 6/22/2010

17 Cardio Power and Resistance 6/23/2010

18 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X 6/24/2010

19 Pure Cardio 6/25/2010

20 OFF – Deck build all day 6/26/2010

21 OFF – Deck build all day 6/27/2010

22 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X 6/28/2010

The Outline:

23 Cardio Power and Resistance 6/29/2010

24 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X 6/30/2010

25 Pure Cardio 7/1/2010

26 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 7/2/2010

27 Plyometric Cardio Circuit 7/3/2010

28 Foutain Of Youth Yoga 7/4/2010

29 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 7/5/2010

30 Plyometric Cardio Circuit 7/6/2010

31 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 7/7/2010

32 Max Cardio 7/8/2010

33 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 7/9/2010

34 Cardio Power and Resistance 7/10/2010

35 Foutain Of Youth Yoga 7/11/2010

36 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 7/12/2010

37 Max Interval Plyo 7/13/2010

38 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 7/14/2010

39 Pure Cardio 7/15/2010

40 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 7/16/2010

41 Max Interval Circuit 7/17/2010

42 Foutain Of Youth Yoga 7/18/2010

43 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 7/19/2010

44 Plyometric Cardio Circuit 7/20/2010

45 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 7/21/2010

46 Max Cardio 7/22/2010

47 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 7/23/2010

48 Cardio Power and Resistance 7/24/2010

49 Foutain Of Youth Yoga 7/25/2010

50 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 7/26/2010

51 Max Interval Plyo 7/27/2010

52 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 7/28/2010

53 Pure Cardio 7/29/2010

54 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 7/30/2010

55 Max Interval Circuit 7/31/2010

56 OFF – Scheduled Rest 8/1/2010

57 Foutain Of Youth Yoga 8/2/2010

58 Core Cardio and Balance 8/3/2010

59 Core Synergistics 8/4/2010

60 Foutain Of Youth Yoga 8/5/2010

61 Core Synergistics 8/6/2010

62 Core Cardio and Balance 8/7/2010

63 OFF – Scheduled Rest 8/8/2010

64 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 8/9/2010

65 Max Interval Plyo 8/10/2010

66 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 8/11/2010

67 Max Cardio 8/12/2010

68 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 8/13/2010

69 Max Interval Circuit 8/14/2010

70 OFF – Scheduled Rest 8/15/2010

71 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 8/16/2010

72 Max Interval Plyo 8/17/2010

73 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 8/18/2010

74 Max Cardio 8/19/2010

75 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 8/20/2010

76 Max Interval Circuit 8/21/2010

77 OFF – Scheduled Rest 8/22/2010

78 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X 8/23/2010

79 Max Interval Plyo 8/24/2010

80 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X 8/25/2010

81 Max Cardio 8/26/2010

82 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X 8/27/2010

83 Max Interval Circuit 8/28/2010

84 OFF – Scheduled Rest 8/29/2010

85 Push Ups and Triceps Test Day 8/30/2010

86 5K run 8/31/2010

87 Pull Ups and V-Snaps (abs) test 9/1/2010

88 Sprint tests with hills 9/2/2010

89 Leg and Back test 9/3/2010

90 Cardio Test 2 9/4/2010

Round 3 – Day 1 to Day 6 (Light Of My Life)

Day 1 P90X – Chest and Back.

It has been so long since I have done a P90X workout that I really genuinely enjoyed listening to Tony and the gang. Of course, being day 1 I am keen, full of energy, able to keep up with the kids and taking it all in stride. I am ignoring the menace that awaits me tomorrow and the following day and just enjoying doing the work. I stuck with the workout as instructed and even agreed that I would do the ARX workout instead of skipping ahead and doing things in my own time. It is actually a relief to submit to someone else since all I have done for the past few days is plan and work around the new female in my life. I was able to slip away for an hour during an afternoon nap and that reminded me just what a great system this P90X and Insanity workout system is. Not only that, I have been building a deck and my soreness is more of a reminder that I need to stick with the program just to survive my new life!

Day 2 Insanity -Â Plyometric Cardio Circuit

I didn’t feel too bad after yesterday, my chest is a little tight but knowing that today was cardio I thought I was relatively safe. Of course I was forgetting that part of the Insanity workout involves more than a few minutes of plank and pushups and that my fate was already sealed. Once Shaun T went into the level 1 and ski abs I immediately regretted yesterday and my shortsightedness but realized that at least this was the worst I was going to feel. At least that is what I told myself at the time. By the end of the workout, as short as it was, I was face down in a pool of sweat and the floor of my gym once again looked like a slaughterhouse. I had forgotted just how hard the warmup was, and although I accurately remembered how long the workout was, I had obviously blocked out the memory of exactly how difficult it was. Needless to say I was spent both physically and emotionally and just thankful that today there was no abs.

Day 3 P90X – Shoulders and Arms

I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Although the lack of sleep due to the baby hasn’t really affected me so far I was still physically a wreck. I hurt all over, I couldn’t stand up straight and my calves were on fire all day. I went into the workout relieved that I didn’t have to do any more pull ups and that for me today is a favourite session. I soon found out that in fact my weights are significanltly down and the soreness in my chest prevented me from effectively doing my shoulders. Regardless, I soldiered on knowing I wouldn’t have to coach or go to work for the coming weeks and that I could in fact rest almost on demand.

Day 4 Insanity – Cardio and Resistance

I thought the last time around that I had done a few of the Insanity workouts. In fact, my memory sucks and I found out that in fact I have only done a couple of them. It was therefore a horrific shock that I didn’t know this workout ahead of time. I managed to do most of it, however the power jumps are killing me. I have to admit that I just love the Insanity workouts, the intensity is amazing, the time is short and I sweat bullets knowing that my heartrate is sky high. Not knowing what was coming however made me nervous and as such I think I will do better next time. I was drenched again and I swear I lose 5lbs each workout!

Day 5 Rest

Day 6 One on One with Tony Horton – Fountain of Youth Yoga

I had made a deal with myself that I would incorporate Yoga back into my schedule and rather than do the 90 minute P90X version I managed to get my hands on a copy of FOY Yoga. The thought of being alone with Tony in his basement made me queasy however he was personable, likeable and altogether different. The workout was great, just what I was looking for, a short but varied Yoga workout that I can fit into my schedule. Of course I couldn’t actually do much of it, partly due to my soreness from the past few days of deck work, baby holding and walking and my new Round 3 and partly due to the fact that I gave up Yoga so long ago any flexibility I had is long gone. I have the workout on my Patriot Box Office Media Player so I had Tony on the big screen upstairs while my daughter slept in her pack and play baby holding cell. If you don’t have one of these things yet, get yourself one, it is amazing. Full HD and the ability to play almost any media type.

So that is me all caught up. My daughter isÂ 8 days old, my new workout is 6 days old and I feel like I am 70. Ah, just like the good old days.

Round 3 – It’s the baby’s fault

For those of you who may be using P90X to get into shape before the baby comes let me just give you a couple of pointers.

You have many more things to do before the baby arrives, and you will be amazed at how insignificant your fitness is in the big picture.
When the baby does come, if you are in shape and part way through your program a large part of your brain will be beating you up while you spend time adjusting rather than working out.
It can be done. I just couldn’t do it.

So that brings me here, the day after the baby came home, 4 days after the birth and I am off work for 3 weeks. I literally cannot waste any time ofÂ my “vacation” sitting around doing nothing. I promised that I would use this time as a springboard to get my P90X journey back on track and since I eclipsed my time on the program with down time over the last 2 months I thought it was time to start over. I also realized that I needed a better idea of what I was actually going to do rather than trying to adjust on the fly. So here I go, the program I promised myself and the return to fitness I promised my new daughter so that her Dad won’t be the fat guy at the PTA meetings.

P90X Insanity Hybrid – Round 3

Day 1Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

Day 2Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Day 3Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Day 4Cardio Power and Resistance

Day 5 Fountain of Youth Yoga (Rest Day)

Day 6 Pure Cardio

DayÂ 7 Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

(Optional rest day after day 7)

Day 8Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

Day 9Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Day 10Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Day 11Cardio Power and Resistance

Day 12Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Day 13Pure Cardio

Day 14Rest or X Stretch or Yoga X

Round 2, Days 39-43. Niagara Vacation

So I have been away and trying to fit something into my schedule. For the first time in a long time I worked out at a gym in the hotel only to be ashamed at my lack of brutish strength. I realize that this will bother me forever now that I have shifted my focus but I just can’t help myself. I did take my Insanity DVDs with me also however the room was prohibitively small and they had really nice treadmills in the workout room so I opted instead for some tried and true relatively fastish walking…

I did however manage to get Pure Cardio, Legs and Back, Chest, Shoulders and Triceps done while I was out of town. I also did quite a lot of walking around the area however with a very pregnant wife by my side, walking isn’t what it used to be! So back to today with what is supposed to be max interval plyo. I have to admit that the hardest part of this Round 2 is keeping track of where I am and what day I am on. Not only is it difficult to maintain my focus on the P90X portion but it is equally hard with two forced rest days a week to keep motivated. I have found much to my disappointment that I have been largely unable to do 5 days a week with the 2 coaching days off. I have found that extra rest day creeping in regardless of what I plan.

Here is what I have scheduled on my list for the next 5 workouts. That should, in theory, take me to Monday. I guess we will see.

The message here I guess is that if you are going to plan your workouts without a structured 7 day routine, make sure you have your 90 days written down and take it one day at a time.

Max Interval Plyo

Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X

Max Cardio

Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Max Interval Circuit

Max Interval Plyo

Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X

Max Cardio

Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Max Interval Circuit

I have also just noticed that I was supposed to start the Max workouts last week and failed to do so. I will therefore introduce myself to Max tonight. I just hope he is nicer to me that Shaun T.

Round 2, Day 38 – Spinning Wheels and Invisible Tony

I had a bad weekend, mostly due to the fact that I started to create a pass-through in our living room to get light into the dining room. That took a lot out of me on Saturday with the header building and the support work and then I had to coach on Sunday for one of the other coaches which took most of the day. Needless to say I didn’t get much working out done. So, to make up for it I went on the treadmill in the morning at work and then last night did a quick back and biceps workout even though we didn’t get home until about 7pm after going to see the 3D baby ultrasound.

So, a big few days. I have a huge hole in my wall, I got to see our baby daughter in 3D which was really weird and I made a bit of extra cash coaching all at the expense of my fitness. We have another ultrasound today, a medical one rather than an entertainment one and then coaching again tonight. Hopefully I will be able to go on the treadmill tomorrow morning at work again and then do some Shaun T tomorrow night.

The back and biceps workout is one of the workouts that you can easily do without Tony at all. In fact, last night I put on some music and got to work without even using the DVD (Invisible Tony, welcome, have a seat and be quiet). In some respects I wanted to see how I would fare without the DVD in order to figure out if I really need to take the laptop this weekend or if I just need my recording sheets. The workout was shockingly short. I blasted through way faster than I would normally maybe in part because my elbow was quite sore and so my weights and pull ups were down I am not sure. Either way, I was done the whole thing in under 40 minutes. I also skipped the warmup since I never warmed up in the 25 or so years I lifted weights… Sorry Tony, I know how much you love your warmup and stretch and it’s not that I disagree, I just know I will be fine without it.

This coming weekend will not be any easier, but the best I can do is to plan. We are in Niagara Falls from Friday to Tuesday so I will take the laptop and the DVDs and my P90X workout sheets and do what I can at the workout centre and in my room. Hopefully I will be able to get some workouts in especially since we are planning to do a “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” road trip to 3 or 4 of the locations near Buffalo. We have the house sitter and cat feeder booked, I have my laptop and my DVDs packed and ready to go so… Here is the plan, as far as I can make out:

Today: Off – Coaching
Wednesday: Pure Cardio with or without Cardio Abs
Thursday (Off work to finish wall): Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X + Coaching
Friday (Off work, go to Niagara): Cardio Power and Resistance
Saturday (Niagara): Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Sunday (Niagara): Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Monday (Niagara): Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Tuesday (Niagara then home to coach): Off

I mean if I am on vacation at a place that has a gym there really is no reason I can’t work out. It’s not as if we have never been to Niagara before or we need to go sightseeing. It is also going to be in the 20’s this weekend so the weather will be beautiful for walking (even though Nicole is starting to waddle more than walk now).
I guess we will see, we already know how poorly I stick to plans I make but this is vacation, surely it will be easier?

Round 2, Day 36 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and Home Bench

invisible-bench-press

I am really happy with this workout now that I have substituted some of the weaker exercises with more bench work. When I bench I feel like I am really working. I have a hard time getting out of the gym rat mindset that unless you are throwing massive amounts of weights around then you really aren’t working. At least this way I get to stress my body, feed my desire to push 45lb plates around and still get a great varied workout.

The bench has been my partner for so many years. From being frustrated at my inability to push 2 plates right through to my bloodvessel busting 395lb singles we have come a long way together. My new partner is the chin up bar. Around a year ago I decided that my lifelong inability to do chin ups was finally going to be a thing of the past. I remember vividly not being able to do more than one chin up, and for a person who (yes I admit) thinks ofÂ themselvesÂ as pretty strong it was a real disappointment. After all, what kind of person can shoulder press and bench press well over their bodyweight and yet can’t do chin ups. It was an embarrassing secret. I committed to doing more pulldowns and to doing jump releases which are basically jumping up to full chin up and lowering yourself slowly. After much work I found that I was up to around 10 or so, something which I have to admit I always thought would be impossible. My introduction to P90X came shortly after that and since then my chin ups are where they probably should be, although not at Tony’s level, I can certainly hang with the other guys in the videos.

Maybe this is a hangover from the goal setting spiel from yesterday I am not sure. Either way, I find the bench to be a warm reminder of my many many years in the gym and the pull up bar as my hope for the future. I am missing the gym less and less but every so often it’s nice to reminisce with some heavy straight and close grip bench.

Round 2, Day 33-35. Planning your work, working your plan.

Most people don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan.

I am disappointed in myself. Well, maybe disappointed is the wrong word. Frustrated maybe.

So far the workouts have been fine, I am working hard and although I constantly feel like I am not pushing hard enough that is not the problem. The problem is discipline with my eating habits. So far this round my weight loss has been disappointing and while I know that for most people weight loss isn’t the goal with P90X, for me it is the major aim. I don’t have a reason, and I assume that I am just like so many others out there who really don’t have a good excuse why they are still snacking at night, still buying crap at the coffee shop and waking up feeling like crap every day because they just can’t seem to stop the insanity.

Sadly, I don’t have a solution. Well, maybe I do. There are people who will say that your motivation isn’t enough. You don’t have a big enough “why” to drive you on and in some respects that is true. However, there are people out there with massive motivation, huge goals and reasons for being healthy who still can’t get the job done. The question is why? I believe it is simple, you just haven’t committed to the goal you need to set. Motivation is one thing, having a reason to do something is separate from having a goal and I think that is where I have stumbled a little. Having a reason to succeed is like being back in high school and having a crush on the head cheerleader. It’s great to think about, it makes you feel good but in reality unless there is a plan to go along with the goal that matches the reason you are just some creepy guy who stares too much. What you need is a goal, something concrete that your mind can work on while you sleep, something you can plan for and build action items towards. Without a plan and waypoint goals (with rewards, by the way) your vision is just a pipe dream.

Here is what you need to do. Get a pen and write this stuff down and stop wasting your time.

1. Write down your reason. This should be easy. Mine is to get down to a healthy weight (bodyfat level) before the baby arrives some time in June. You can have more than one reason, come up with two or three. If you can’t think of reasons to be healthy then think of reasons why you don’t want to be dead of anÂ aneurysmÂ or heart failure by Christmas, that usually works.

2. Write down your action plan. Make it basic. For example you should plan to work out at least 5 or 6 days a week and adhere toÂ whateverÂ nutritional guidelines you set for yourself. Some people want to avoid starches and sugars, some want to go vegan. It’s up to you what you do, just pick one and make it part of your plan. This is still pretty simple since it is a large framework that you should have little problem staying within. If you are having difficulty sticking to the 6 days a week thing, don’t sweat it. You are lazy. Just resolve to not be lazy 6 days and be as lazy as you want the other day.

Your plan should also include what method you want to use to get to your end result. You may decide that you are going to do P90X or Insanity or just to go the gym but decide what your vehicle will be. Also, plan ahead for what you will do afterwards. 60 or 90 days is a long time, and to be honest most people won’t make it but the ones who do are often struck down at the finish line by a lack of planning of “what’s next”. (That was me, by the way). The plan can get pretty detailed but if you are using a program like P90X then it becomes very simple.

3. Most people don’t plan to fail, they simply fail to plan. Make a list of your goals and rewards. This is where you start to get concrete. This is the detail that goes into your framework with dates and goals attached. These don’t need to be daily goals, they can span the year if you wish, just make sure that they are measurable and attainable

GOAL	COMPLETION DATE	REWARD	Next Goal
Workout 6 days a week for 4 months (96 days total)	June 1 2010	Vibram 5 finger shoes	Another 4 months
Weight to 250lbs	May 1 2010	Patriot Media box for TV	240lbs
Waist to 36″	May 15 2010	New Jeans and Khakis	Waist to 34″

If you structure your goals along with your plan then you have it all in place, you just need to execute the plan. If you find yourself slacking or not executing, then start paying more attention. Write down your progress daily like so many of the online blogging community does. State your goals to people around you or post them in your cubicle or on your fridge. You will find no lack of commitment and drive when you take time to think about your goals. The problem is keeping them at the front Â of your mind with so many other things going on. If you have a goal such as a certain waist measurement or a certain number of chin ups then write down your progress on a chart where you can see the improvements.

This is what I need to do because my problem is that my reason is overshadowing my plan and my goals. I spend lots of time thinking about what will happen when the baby gets here and not enough time thinking about what I need to achieve before it happens.

Round Two, Day 32 – Pure Cardio, Pure Hell

Pure Cardio is the epoch of everything that is wrong with the Insanity program. Well, let me rephrase that, it represents everything that is wrong with the way I am approaching these workouts. I am so used to Tony giving us breaks and time to recover before again blasting the bodypart that my feeble brain is trying to comprehend the logic to Shaun T’s method. You see, Insanity is not the same, not by any measure. The fact is that it will take you at least one run through of each Insanity DVD before you get the hang of it. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to know where the end of the workout is so I can focus on it and work towards it. I can’t push myself hard not knowing when the break will come, it’s just not rational for me. So I end up taking breaks in various places and ending up not having worked at my optimal rate. However, now I know what Pure Cardio is like, the next time I do it I won’t be taking breaks because I will know that there is really only 18 minutes or so of pain to the workout.

Last night, regardless of my back pain, I worked through the Pure Cardio DVD and was happy with the workout as a whole with the exception of the timing being difficult to manage. What I did realize at the end is that unless you really push yourself as Shaun encourages you to, you may not get the workout you were expecting. It is easy to underachieve during these sessions if only because they are so short. As long as you go in knowing that the counter on the screen indicates the total time left minus about 4 minutes you will be fine. Work as hard as you can for as long as you can and then take a break. But… if the counter is sitting at 8 minutes, push through. You can do anything for 4 minutes or so can’t you? For me, the workout was a little frustrating. I was tired, I was pushing but I was in pain. It was not a pretty site. By the end I was left wanting more, only because I had neglected to heed the timer. Had I realized what little time there was left, I would no doubt have pushed harder. Next time…

Pure Cardio, then, is in fact everything that is right with the Insanity program. It is truly a High Intensity workout with only around 18 minutes of lung busting cardio as long as you don’t include the “warmup”. Learn to manhandle that 18 minutes and you will learn the joy of Insanity. It may not be for the faint of heart or the “fat burning zone” treadmill losers but in order to get what you can out of it you should be prepared to push yourself harder than you have done before and that, my friends, is no joke.

Round 2, Phase 2, Week 1 – Back Tweak = Back Day!!

I am sporadic in my updating only due to the fact that I am sporadic in my work. I tweaked something in my back the other day and being cautious doesn’t really jive with what I am trying to achieve. However, I have found if I am careful and warm up properly that I can still achieve what I need to while hurting. The Insanity Plyo was the worst. Trying to keep up with Shaun T while feeling like you have daggers up and down your spine is not optimal. But, as they say, you do what you can.

I am really happy to be in Phase 2 if only to enjoy the “other” DVDs in the P90X set which you only get to do during weeks 4-7. Maybe it is a reflection of my enjoyment of a good shoulder workout I am not sure. Anyway, I managed to get through my Back and Biceps day yesterday despite being incredibly uncomfortable. I figured if I was going to be home all day with a sore back, the least I could do is try and get some bodyparts done. As strange as it may sound, doing pullups when my back is sore is a great benefit. By the time the workout was done (it took me almost 90 minutes) I did feel a great deal better. However, I couldn’t manage any Ab Ripper today, it was just agony.

For those of you who have sore backs, don’t let the workouts slip if you can. Especially if it is a back day. I have an inversion table which works wonders for me, but before I got it, doing pullups was an acceptable substitute. The one thing it took me many years to figure out was that moving, exercising, walking and doing chinups made me feel better not worse. The temptation is to lay down and do very little, in fact I posted a page once on what to do when your back goes out however when I wrote that page, I was still far from understanding that the key to rehab of a back injury is exercise. I was also under the impression that back pain was in your back. Since then I have come to understand that my personal pain is a mixture of piriformis, ITB and hamstring issues all rolled into one causing pain through my sciatic nerve and down my leg.

So I am moving a little slowly, just around the time that I am realizing that I am not doing enough and need to step it up a notch.