Round 4 Day 17-18. Plyo Plus Shoulders and Arms

No, I did not do P90X Plyo, this was Plyometric Cardio from Insanity. Although I did toy with the idea of going back to Plyo once this round we will see. I made a quick and easy shoulders and arms workout that was OK for shoulders but not that great for triceps. I am not worried about my biceps at this point but my triceps need a bigger workout than this. I think I may have to go away from the circuit training approach for this day so I can military press for my shoulders and then covert back to flat bench so I can narrow bench for my triceps.

Here is what I did yesterday.

95lb Military Press x10
35 lb In and Out Biceps x 10
Body weight free dips x 10
95lb Military Press x10
35 lb In and Out Biceps x 10
Body weight free dips x 10

135lb Military Press x 10
35lb Single arm Bicep Curls x 10
20 Military pushups
135lb Military Press x 10
35lb Single arm Bicep Curls x 10
20 Military pushups

185lb Military Press x 8
35lb Double Bicep plus Upright Row x15
Chair Dips (feet up) x15
185lb Military Press x 8
35lb Double Bicep plus Upright Row x15
Chair Dips (feet up) x15

35lb Side Shoulder Raise x 10
Band Tricep Push Downs (all 3 bands) x 10
35lb Side Shoulder Raise x 10
Band Tricep Push Downs (all 3 bands) x 10

It seems like a lot of sets and maybe it’s due to the fact that you are effectively trying to cover off 4 bodyparts in one day, bi’s tri’s, shoulders and traps. 22 sets is a ton compared to a couple of days ago when I did what I thought was 8 sets however if you split the pull ups out it was 16 sets. I still feel like I did more and yet not enough. I am thinking of splitting out and doing chest/tri, back/bi and shoulders on a separate day like I used to but that won’t be until round 5 most likely. I say round 5, but I am getting so far away from the Round 1 of P90X it seems almost ludicrous.

Round 4 Day 16 – Gym Chest and Back

I resolved to make this a tough but fairly quick workout but mainly to make it repeatable. It turned out quite well, although I can’t remember how long it took and I think with time I may need to tack on some extra sets especially if I can find some heavier dumbbells to do some rowing. The fact is that with this workout my back is solely done with pull ups and although I am not completely happy with that I have no way of getting rows into my workout at the moment and with the light dumbbells that I have it’s pointless to do lawnmowers. So here is my Gym Chest and Back workout.

Bench and Pull ups

135×20 + 10 wide front
135×20 + 10 wide front
185×10 + 10 reverse grip
185×10 + 10 reverse grip
225×10 + 10 close grip
225×10 + 10 close grip
275×5 + 7 tuck pull ups
185×10 + 7 L sit pull ups

As you can see, there are only 8 sets here and typically I like to aim for 12 -15. next time around I will time the workout and see if I can add another 2 sets at the lower weights. As my strength comes back I may be able to add more 275 sets but I don’t think I will be going higher than that. I benched 375 before, I don’t think I need to have a 400lb bench in my list of achievements.

Round 4 Day 14 – WOD Chesty

So last night I decided just as I was leaving work to do the actual WOD from the Crossfit Aurora Site since I had already done a Fran and a Cindy and didn’t have the time to hand pick another named workout. The WOD was as follows and since I liked it and will be doing it again I’m going to call her Chesty:

Chesty

50 Double Unders (since I don’t have a rope I did 50 tuck jumps instead same as power jumps in Insanity)
Rest 3 min
4 Rounds of:
21 burpees
15 Ring Dips (I have a dip stations for these)

My biggest problem with both Insanity and the WODs is the fact that getting to my feet from laying down a la burpee has been almost impossible for me since my back surgery. Not only that, but the fatness doesn’t help either. However, last night I found that when I used dumbbells instead of putting my hands on the floor I could actually do the movement. So for the first time in almost 10 years I did some burpees last night.

Save your wrist, enable the burpees within!

The workout itself is short but tough just like many of the WODs. In total I think I was done the actual workout part in around 13.5 minutes not including the double unders. I do find it weird though that I push myself far harder doing the Crossfit workouts than I do during either the Insanity or the P90X workouts. Maybe it is the time factor, maybe just being set free from the schedule of the workout although I haven’t actually gone at the DVD pace for a long time now with Tony. I am not sure, all I do know is that these workouts are crazy short and crazy tough… and I am picking the easy ones!!

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.

Round 4 Day 9 – The Stuttering Start (And Paleo Saves My Life)

October 8 2010

While I should have taken 9 days to get to day 9 in fact I have already taken 12 days. This is partly due to the fact my parents are in from out of the country and that we were away last weekend. That being said, I could have put up better numbers. I am averaging 2 days on one off which at the current intensity isn’t going to cut it. This is the sad attempt so far:

P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF
P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups
OFF
OFF
GYM Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Cardio Power and Resistance
OFF
GYM Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups

P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF
P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups
OFF
OFF
GYM Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Cardio Power and Resistance
OFF
GYM Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups

I also am getting the feeling that I am doing too little insanity however I guess that as long as I include the MetCon part of the WOD I will be fine with the cardio workout. Also, if I can keep up walking in the morning 3 days a week it should be enough.

I am also going to start making a concerted effort to jump on the Paleo bandwagon. Now, lots has been said about Paleo and the caveman diet but without sounding like a jerk I was into this when I was in high school. I remember one summer I followed the meat and fruit/veg diet and got pretty amazing results. However I was subject to much ridicule in my house and from my coworkers due to the fact that I was a “weightlifter” but wouldn’t touch pasta or bread, something that back in the late 80’s made you seem like a complete idiot.

After reviewing FitBomb’s entry about his reasons for going Paleo I find that the same reasoning resonates with me now just as it did back then. So for the forseeable future ( now that the weekend carrot cake has finally been finished) I will do the Paleo dance and attempt to reign in my weight before Christmas. I should be hanging around the 220 mark, something that is barely on the horizon from where I stand at this point. Sure I am fit and strong but I also feel like I am a heart attack on legs due to my weight. Given my advanced age (40+) and my family history of heart problems it’s probably time I took steps to stay out of the pine overcoat as long as possible and exercise alone isn’t going to cut it. Not that my diet is usually filled with fast food and donuts but making the switch to Paleo and getting away from the refined sugar and flour is something I think is really going to make a difference.

It’s my WOD day today and rather than sticking with my pullups/jumpups/squats I am going to try a real MetCon and try to see how I do. My choice is Cindy as follows:

As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes:

5 pullups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats (Air Squats)

This is supposed to be mixed with an indeterminate amount of Turkish Get-ups, something that  I will have to try before I commit. I think weightless Turkish Get-ups may be all I can manage for now.

Round 4 Day 1 – You Forget

Confusion - it's confusing

As much as they tout P90X as “muscle confusion” you do get into a rut of working the same muscle groups. It’g great that the rut isn’t too long or too deep but doing Chest and Back again yesterday for the first time in a long time reminded me of two things. First, the value of change. If you don’t change things regularly you will inevitably fall into a pattern by which both physically and psychologically you will become entranced and then lulled to sleep. The fact that you are sore AGAIN the first time you do a workout you haven’t done in a while speaks volumes to that. Second, the value of entertainment in fulfilling the time commitment. I have come across a few people who have claimed that they have saved a few minutes here and there by skipping bits and pieces of the workout or by (myself included) substituting weights or heavy resistance for some of the exercises. My advice would be if you want to substitute, take a day to do that but when you are faced with a P90X workout or and Insanity workout, submit to the process and do the whole thing. Saving 10 minutes off the workout isn’t doing you any favours in fact it will hurt you in the long run. 10 minutes a day on a program that requires a 6 day a week commitment (watch out here comes the math) is A FULL HOUR that you have skipped. Now I understand you are thinking that it’s only the warmup or only the cooldown but believe me if you aren’t present you aren’t’ getting the benefit but if you are there, you will get more of a boost to your overall fitness and attitude than you will ever realize. Each day that you skip part of the workout you devalue the process and thereby devalue yourself. My daughter is 4 months old now and time is at a premium however even I can’t truly make the excuse that 10 minutes is going to make a huge difference in her life but I can guarantee because I have been there, it will make a huge difference in mine. If you want to incorporate other stuff, do it prudently and make a day for it or allot a specific time for it, it will help you get the most out of your 90 day commitment and your daily workout sanctuary.

So Day 1 was fine, although I struggled with the rotation and the reduced body part count but  it was fun. The next morning I was sore but not too badly. It was a comforting reminder that I had once again found more muscle in need of work.

P90X / Insanity / CrossFit / Weights – Round 4 Tentative Schedule

I am going to try to work in some Crossfit type WOD workouts in with my Beachbody stuff. Not only that, I have incorporated Gym days as well as P90X days to give me the best of both worlds. Since I have a bench for chest and shoulders I may as well get it used, not only that, it will help me to maintain my strength as well as the flexibility and bodyweight work from the DVDs. I find that having done this for a while that I miss the heavy weights of bench and shoulder press. I miss the massive pump that I get from doing free weights and since I have the ability to work it in, I am going to schedule it as part of Round 4. Having said that, here is the tentative schedule for the next 90 days. You will notice that I have opted to do a 4 on 1 off rotation. I find that doing these workouts is extremely hard on the body and you really do need to schedule more than one day a week off if you are mixing up the workouts together. I find that if I don’t I will get to around 8 or 10 days and suddenly be unable to do the workout and end up taking 2 days off or more. That is not productive in any way so I will try to get the rest I need while still maintaining the work rate. I hace also scheduled a “rest week” to give me a break from the monotony. This is subject to change, obviously, but for now, I think this looks like a fun way to get me to Christmas.

ROUND 4 – P90X / Insanity / WOD /Freeweight  Mix

(Modified after day 28 – Too Much Chest In Phase 2)

1P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
2Plyometric Cardio Circuit
3P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
4WOD with Pullups
5OFF
6GYM Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
8GYM Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
9WOD with Pullups
10OFF
11P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
12Pure Cardio
13P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
14WOD with Pullups
15OFF
16GYM Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
17Plyometric Cardio Circuit
18GYM Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
19WOD with Pullups
20OFF
21P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
22Cardio Power and Resistance
23P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
24WOD with Pullups
25OFF
26Core Cardio and Balance
27Core Synergistics
28Core Cardio and Balance
29P90X Chest & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
30Max Interval Plyo
31P90X Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
32WOD with Pullups
33GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
34Pure Cardio
35OFF
36GYM  Chest and Triceps
37WOD with Pullups
38GYM Back & Biceps
39Pure Cardio
40GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
41WOD with Pullups
42OFF
43P90X Chest & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
44Pure Cardio
45P90X Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
46WOD with Pullups
47GYM Shoulders Traps and Ab Ripper X
48Max Interval Plyo
49OFF
50FOY Yoga
51Core Cardio and Balance
52Core Synergistics
53FOY Yoga
54OFF
55WOD with Pullups
56Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
57Max Cardio
58Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
59OFF
60WOD with Pullups
61Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
62Max Interval Plyo
63Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
64OFF
65WOD with Pullups
66Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
67Max Interval Circuit
68Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
69OFF
70WOD with Pullups
71Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
72Max Cardio
73Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
74OFF
75WOD with Pullups
76Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
77Max Interval Circuit
78Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
79OFF
80P90X Fit Test & Insanity Fit Test
81Max Rep Pullups 10 min max
825K Timed Run
83Max Rep Bench 10 min max
84FINISH!!