G90X is Dead… Long Live P90X Round 2

Warning. This post contains reality checks, actual results and the effect of doing P90X without the nutrition to back it up.

You have been warned.

Well, no surprise that my transition to the gym didn’t work out as planned and now here I sit in worse shape than I was before I started the workouts last time. The good thing is that I am fully aware of what it takes to succeed this time and hoepfully it won’t be too painful. However, I did try to do Plyo just for fun a few weeks ago and thought my heart was going to explode. Anyway, I have to do something to get me back into shape so here we go.

Today is January 30, Saturday and it’s day 1. Some guys from work are also participating and we’ll see how many people make it through to the end.

The feeling that I have now is that even though I am in worse shape than I was when I started last time I think I will be able to catch up even more quickly given that I know what to expect and know when to hit the gas and when to take it easy. I also have the  modified movements sorted out so that I don’t wreck my sensitive back or shoulder. I have to believe that after the first two weeks I should be down at least 8 lbs and pretty much up to speed. We shall see.

Chest and Back.

It is nice to be back. This time around however I am drowning out Tony with whatever I can get my ipod to play through my old receiver in the basement. Today I did the whole workout to Sir Mixalot which may seem like a strange choice but when compared to the Public Enemy I have lined up for shoulders and arms it doesn’t seem so odd.

The workout was by no means easy. I know I am out of shape (comparatively speaking) and for me that means I am lugging around more weight than I should be because due to my long history of weightlifting my muscles themselves are never far away from being fully awake. The pushups were a breeze as usual, bu the numbers on my chinups were truly pitiful. However, over the past year that I have been trying to work on my back strength I now actually feel like I have some semblance of muscularity back there to work with. Even so, the totals were embarassing

This time around I also opted to do the fit test that I neglected last time. It is probably good since I would have scored reasonably well last time. Not so today. I have included my numbers below for your entertainment.

Resting Heart Rate70
Pull-Ups5
Vertical Leap Inches13
Push-Ups50
Toe-Touch-1
Wall Squat (Seconds)65
Bicep Curls (Reps | Wt )4020
Total Poundage800
In & Outs50
Heart Rate Maximizer
Immediately After150
After 1 Minute Rest123
After 2 Minutes Rest106
After 3 Minutes Rest99
After 4 Minutes Rest93
Cardio Calculators3/1/2010
Phase 1
Fitness LevelsDay 1Day 28
Weight278.00-
Body Fat %26.82%0.00%
Chest50
Waist44.00-
Hips46.00-
Neck19.00-
Right Thigh25
Left Thigh26
Right Bicep18
Left Bicep17.75

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

That’s all for today, I am in high spirits, only due to the fact that I have forgotten just how painful day 2 and 3 are…

Link to Day 1 Part 1

G-Days – The Montly Updates Schedule

I have decided that since I am not on the Official P90X any more that I will just update when I have changed my routines to Phase 2 and Phase 3 of my G90X. So far, things are going badly, we spent a week in Vegas doing absolutely nothing except eating everything I wasn’t supposed to and not exercising at all. Sure we walked a bit but that is not exercise no matter what anyone tells you.

So I will be back for Phase 2 and Phase 3 to outline my plan and I will report at the end how my G90X compared to Tony’s P90X.

So long for now.

G-Day 7 and 8 – Rest and Chest

I have missed a few days posting here but the reason is that I had to skip a couple of days for rest purposes and due to the fact we were just too busy. However, I managed to squeeze in Chest and Back at the gym, my second time around with that particular routine.

Chest and back went according to plan, the only adjustment I made was to do single arm pulls for my rear delts instead of doing the rear delt machine. This movement replaces the bent over back flys which to be honest are both difficult and potentially dangerous to do sitting down. A standing pull with your arm parallel to the ground with a cable at shoulder height gives you an excellent isolation of the rear delt without the pressure on your back that sitting provides. I find that doing pull ups at the gym is radically different than at home. The equipment is built for it, the extra space around me seems to provide me with extra strength and the fact that there are huge mirrors right opposite the pull up station is a huge bonus. I also have found that doing bench instead of push ups is also radically different. I am on program to get my bench up to 225 for the push up portions of the program which would make me happy. However, you need to be aware that the bench will never replace the push up as an exercise because of the isolation of the chest. I would recommend that you leave at least one push up movement maybe with a BOSU ball in your repertoire.

G-Day 6 – Kenpo with a twist

The more I modify the system, the more I feel involved and like a willing participant. Doing this thing the second time around can get a little repetitive and so even during the DVDs that I followed with such venom previously I am finding ways to make things different. Today was Kenpo, one of the workouts that I will stick with for this 3 month adventure however I am looking at ways of changing it up a bit. However, due to the fast pace and cleverly crafted add-a-move configuration it was almost impossible. I wish that there were some modifications on the DVD that would make it a little more advanced at times. I am already doing jump kicks and roundhouses and backfist combinations to up the complexity but I am running out of ideas. Watching “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV helps and I find myself stealing some of the training moves I see during the show. I don’t want to sink to the level of breaking out the wife’s Tae Bo DVDs but I will have to see. For the time being, I will have to put up with Tony “I’m a fan” and Phil “Don’t try too hard” for my Kenpo workout. Pity that FITBOMB had to reveal Phil for the lazy slacker that he is, every time I watch the DVD all I can do is stare at his pathetic horse stance and grind my teeth together…

G-Day 5 – Legs and Back

So here is my interpretation. It is basically the same as doing the DVD in fact, I have only substituted a couple of moves. I cannot nail down the best way to work in the incline leg press so it may never make it in to the workout.

I posted this before the workout, so here it is again with the numbers included. This was a long (48min without warm up) and difficult workout. Surprisingly one of the hardest things was the Chair Pose on the BOSU ball. I was sweating bullets after that one and shaking like a leaf while attempting it.

Legs and Back
COUNT

GOAL

 Exercise
24 24 Balance Lunges
30 30 Calf-Raise Squats
13 FULL Reverse Grip Chin-Ups
REST
15 15 Super Skaters
4x15s 60s Wall Squats
7 FULL Wide Front Pull-Ups
REST
20 20 Step Back Lunges
20 24 Alternating Side Lunges
12 FULL Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups
REST
6×10 60s Single-Leg Wall Squats
8 12 Deadlift Squats SINGLE LEG SQUATS
9 FULL Switch Grip Pull-Ups
REST
25@50 24 Hamstring Curls Machine
14 24 Stiff Leg Deadlifts – No Weight on bar
9 FULL Reverse Grip Chin-Ups (again)
REST
2x30s 60s Chair Salutations or Squat hold on BOSU
20 12 Toe-Roll Iso Lunges
9 FULL Wide Front Pull-Ups (again)
REST
5 20 Free Squat 4 count down 4 hold 4 up
47 20×3 Calf Raises
7 FULL Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups (again)
REST
20 20 80/20 Siebers-Speed Squats
10 FULL Hammer Grip Pull-Ups

G-Day 4 – 5K Run for Charity

Share the outdoors with your kids. They will thank you for it (even if they are 40 before they do...)

Share the outdoors with your kids. They will thank you for it (even if they are 40 before they do…)

 

Rather than spend my time alone in the basement, I took the opportunity to go on the 30th Annual Howl On The Hill 5k run with my wife and some kids from her Fit Kids class. I am sad to say there wasn’t much running to be done but spending time with kids and in the cool autumn air was a great experience. It brought back many memories of being a kid out hiking with my Dad in the Yorkshire Moors complaining about how far it was to the next Youth Hostel. In those days we did 15 miles a day at age 12, these kids were complaining about a 5k walk on suburban streets. Can’t blame them, of course, they are products of their environment and I think all kids are, to some degree, wired to whinge a lot of the time. However, they will grow up with their own pleasant memories and as I get older I realize just how lucky I was as a child not to live in a big city and to have parents who cared about and loved my sister and me enough to truck us out to the countryside and make us carry our own backpacks from Youth Hostel to Youth Hostel where we had to help in the cooking, cleaning and general upkeep of the hostel once we got there. Life wasn’t hard by any means and looking back on it I really really loved those weekends away and although I seem to have lost my point along the way here, those memories of my childhood exercising with my Dad are some of the best that I have. Maybe as a surrogate point here we should agree that although fitness and weight loss are incredibly personal things, they are also things that you can share with your kids and maybe give them some memories like I have of times out in the open country with their parents just having fun.

Tony is a great motivator and an awesome specimen but spending time with him instead of your kids is not the idea. The point is to do what you can with him to make sure you are able to do the other fun stuff with them.

Balance, I am a fan…

G-Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms

Here is the plan for today, shoulders and arms G90X styleeee!

Shoulders and Arms
First Circuit:
Alternating Shoulder Presses
Straight Bar Bicep Curls
Tricep Cable Pushdowns
Second Circuit:
Deep Swimmer’s Presses
Full Supination Concentration Curls
Feet Up Bench Dips
Third Circuit:
Upright Rows – Straight Bar
Static Arm Curls  – Straight Bar
Overhead Dumbell Tricep Extension
Fourth Circuit:
Standing Front and Side Shoulder Fly
Seated Concentration Curls
Tricep Extension and Close Grip Bench Finish
Bonus Circuit:
Hero Flys (Shoulder Fly to Y Position)
Straight Bar Curls with French Curl Finish
Free Dips on Dip Station

I will fill in the weights and other details including the obligatory whining about how sore my arms are going to be later…

I Ran (G-Day 2 – Plyo Substitute)

Knee pain? Hip pain? Low back pain while running? Check your ITB.

Knee pain? Hip pain? Low back pain while running? Check your ITB.

As I was preparing to go down to the basement to do Plyo with Tony, the ever modest, humble Tony, I recalled something he says during the Plyo workout. “You should see me play hoops after doing this for a couple of months… Unbelievable”. Well, I wondered just what he could have meant by unbelievable and if there was an equivalent level of disbelief that I could test for myself. So I decided that I would go for a jog. Now, those who know me are familiar with my stature and know at first sight that although my body is designed for many things, running is not one of them. The last time I ran with any regularity was after I graduated University and was still playing club rugby for the Oakville Crusaders. That was many many years ago and also many many pounds ago. When I was playing last I weighed about 210lbs. I currently weigh in at about 255lbs, mostly due to a big push during the late ’90s when I gained about 40lbs of muscle over the course of about 2 years while trying to make a living as a personal trainer. Anyway, the point being that running is in my far distant past. I have tried over the last few years since my back surgery to run so that I could drop some weight but my runs were more of a walk with some really fast walking mixed in. I would call it jogging but that would probably be an insult to joggers everywhere. I developed shin splints, my tight hip/ITB tore at my knee joints and the whole experience was awful.

Needless to say, my expectations were low and as the rain lightly fell on my face I started out into the darkness to see if my 3 month affair with Tony had been worth it. With my iPod on and thoughts of Tony berating his minions I forged ahead, expecting the usual sad performance. However, I am happy to report that I completed approximately 2.25 miles only stopping at the 3 major intersections to stretch my ITB. Other than that, I RAN THE WHOLE WAY!!!! Unbelievable doesn’t even cover my feeling after I was done and even though the elusive “runner’s high” was nowhere to be found, I was definitely impressed with myself and can say without any uncertainty that P90X was the ONLY reason I was able to do what I did. I know it may not seem like much, but one man’s 2.25 mile jog is another man’s 350lb bench press.

So colour me tickled, I was very happy with myself. That was, of course, until I tried to get out of bed the next day.

Tony, I hate him, but I love him…

G-Day 2 – Come back Tony, all is forgiven

Day 1 of G90X was great. No, wait, it sucked. Well, at the time it was great, now, 2 days later and I am facing Plyo while unable to walk properly I can tell you it was awful. I thought for sure I wouldn’t get sore, after all I had been doing pushups and pullups, what would a little weights be after that?

Well, as you can see below I didn’t use heavy weights, in fact I should have used the pink Olympic bar my bench was so light. In any case, I subbed what I could and did chin ups on the chest fly machine… An enormous double stack of weights with rowing machines and lat machines attached. The cool thing is that it faces the mirror wall and unlike my basement all the mirrors line up properly so you don’t look like a Salvador Dali painting as you are sweating your nuts off.

It was odd being back in the gym especially since I was there NOT doing my gym workout. Instead I had a list to get through. That list is here:

Day 1 Chest and Back
Date

19-Oct

Set 1

Set 2
Flat bench 25 @ 135 20 @ 135
Wide Front Pull Ups

11

10
Narrow Grip Bench 25 @ 135 10 @ 135
Reverse Grip Chin Ups

12

9
Wide Fly Press 20 @ 25 15 @ 25
Closed Grip Overhand Pull Ups

7

6
Incline Bench (OR INCLINE DB PRESS) 20 @ 40 12 @ 40
Heavy Pants or Seated Cable Row 15 @ 150 12 @ 150
Diamond Push Ups / CABLE FLYS 20 @ 50 20 @ 50
Lawnmower 20 @ 30 20 @ 30
Dive Bomber Push Ups

6

6
Back Flys with machine 10 @ 110 10 @ 110
2 days later and I am in critical condition I am so sore.

Day 89, 90 and 1! P90X is dead, long live G90X!

The Return of the Gym Rat

The Return Of The Gym Rat…

It’s time for a rebirth. Time to reinvest in myself and to take what Tony taught me back into the gym.

Today is going to be Day 1 of G90X. My gym infused version of P90X. Since I have a gym membership and my psyche still requires that public exposure as mild motivation I will be taking my P90X workout to the gym. I haven’t worked out the whole program yet, I have a 5 day rotation with which to work and I am going to be doing the Cardio, Kenpo, Plyo and Yoga components of P90X mixed into the newly revamped gym workout.

All I know right now is that if I take Chest and Back to the gym I will have 3 or 4 days to figure out Shoulders and Arms. If I don’t go until I figure it out, I will stay home and watch TV eating bonbons…

So here goes, this is the plan which will probably change once I have a chance to go through it once or twice. I’ll be keeping an excel spreadsheet to record my reps and weights which I will scan later.

6 Day Rotation with rest as required (but with 2 days off a week, rest should not be an issue.
Day 1 – Chest and Back
Day 2 – Plyo with Tony
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms
Day 4 – Yoga
Day 5 – Legs and Back
Day 6 – Kenpo or Cardio or Core Syn

I am not sure I will be incorporating a rest week or not. I will see how I feel after the first 3 weeks.

-Flat bench with 2/3 body weight (up to full body weight, no more)

-Wide Front Pull Ups

-Narrow Grip Bench with 2/3 body weight (up to full body weight, no more)

-Reverse Grip Chin Ups

-Wide Fly Press (start at 40’s)

-Closed Grip Overhand Pull Ups

-Incline Bench with 50% bodyweight up to full bodyweight (OR INCLINE DUMBELL PRESS)

-Heavy Pants or Seated Cable Row

-Diamond Push Ups / CABLE FLYS

-Lawnmower

-Dive Bomber Push Ups

-Back Flys with machine