Weight Loss Round 2

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Last night was Yoga X. I was not prepared in any form or way for Yoga X. I have a LONG WAY to go before I will be able to do more than 50% of the moves. I fell over more than a dozen times and ended quiting because I was exhausted; I brought it to the best of my ability but it wasn't enough to get through Yoga X.

Today was back and shoulders. I had to find a way to do pull downs while I'm waiting for my Alyio resistance bands. So I used the band I had and jimmy-rig it so I could do pull downs. I was very away from the door on my knees and the band did not provide enough resistance for me, so I went maximum reps since I did not have the resistance needed. I only stumbled on 3 exercised today and it felt good knowing that the next time I do Back and Legs I will have to use a heavier band for the pull downs.

Tomorrow is Kenpo. I believe it is mostly kick boxing. I know I should bring it tomorrow as I have down plenty of hooks, upper cuts, and kicks thanks to P90.

As for my weekly weigh in.... I have yet to do it. My weigh in is in about 4 hours. Who knows what that will bring. Maybe some weight gain or loss. The only thing I do know is that I am finally finding a balance in my diet and exercises. Hopefully these two balances can translate into toning and reshaping my body.

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I'm doing the lean P90X program. For the first 3 weeks I am doing the following.

Mondays- Cor Syn.
Tuesday - Cardio X
Wednesday - Arms and shoulders
Thursday - Yoga X
Friday - Legs & Back
Saturday - Kenpo X
Sunday - Stretch X

The only video I'm not keen on is Yoga X. I actually liked Core and Cardio X. I love bringing on a good cardio burn. I have never been keen on weight training. As for Abber Ripper X - I absolutely hate it with a passion. I can't even do 1/4 of the moves as I sore and weak by the time it comes after my Wednesday and Friday workouts. I will subsitute Ab Ripper 200 for Ab Ripper X. At least I will still be working out the Abs. Maybe once I get stronger in my core area I can do Ab Ripper X.

 

Munchkin,

Yoga X was very difficult for me at first. It was one of the hardest videos when I first started out, but it is also the routine I have showed the most improvement on since I began the program. The enitre routine is 90 minutes, but it's half Yoga and half balance excercises. I frequently skip the balance excercises, as it's the Yoga half that is the real workout. Talking to people who know Yoga and have tried that video, they all agree that some of the stuff they do towards the end of the Yoga half is pretty touch - especially a lot of that stuff that you have to balance on one leg. I still have problems with them.

I think subbing Ab Ripper 200 is an acceptable alternative, at least until you get your core stronger. Combining AR200 with Core Synergistics sounds like a good plan. And adding X Stretch to your routine will gradually improve your Yoga performance. About the only thing I'd recommend changing in your routine is you're not doing any chest workouts. I'd alternate one of those on your list (probably either Core Synergistics or Legs and Back) with Chest and Back every other week. While Core Synergistics hits Chest, it doesn't really hit it. Then again, maybe you don't like doing pushups as much as I do, and you hate Chest and Back.

 

Last week I did not gain or lose any weight. I’m still at 263lbs. Since I have started P90X I have noticed a big increase in my flexibility and my ability to balance on one leg.

Within the P90X there are 3 exercise programs, Lean, Classic and Doubles. The introductory DVD talks about which program to complete based on fitness level. I’m aiming for a lean toner look, not necessary RIPPED! The Lean program is designed to reduce body fat and tone the body.

Once I complete P90X lean I’m going to see where I am physically based on how much I weigh and how I look. If I like what I see I will start P90X Classic; however, if I have more fat to burn I will do another round of P90X Lean.

Right now I am in the better shape than I have been for the past 10 years. I still have a long ways to go before I reach my long term goal. As for my short term goal, I have 13lbs I want to loose by Thanksgiving if not by the end of October, which would be nice but probably won’t happen.

I’m looking forward to tonight. It is arms and shoulders and Abs Ripper 250, I'm calling it 250 because I'm going to do 25 reps of each set like Ab Ripper X does but it will be the crunchs/abs rountine from Abs Ripper 200.

I’m trying to get my wife to join me on the days I do strength training. I would try to get her to join me on cardio days but she has a heel splint and another issue with both of her feet.

 

Another week has past. I did not loose any weight nor did I gain any.

Strech X I was able to complete all but 1 of the streches, it was 3 last time. So I know I'm definitely gaining there.

Yoga X instead of being beaten within 20 minutes of the video it took almost 30 minutes. My goal is to get through 45 minutes of Yoga X without stopping, hopefully.

The other videos I noticed some improvements but I was able to do them all last week but this past week I did notice some improvement but not like Yoga X or Strech X.

Hopefully I start to see some weight loss. I really would like to see my weight get below 260lbs.

 

If you can do that, you can do the entire video. I do not know if you have played the video beyond the 30 minute mark, but at about 45 minutes in (the midpoint in the 90 minute video) it switches from Yoga to balance and stretching exercises. When I'm pressed for time I only do that first 45 minutes, because that's where the workout is.

You cannot really "fail" at the stretching techniques. You can certainly get better at them over time, but it's not like you won't be able to do them at all. As for the balance positions, it's much the same thing. You may not be able to hold the balance position for the full 30 seconds, but the positions themselves are not hard to get into (except the crane position), and you'll quickly gain at least some level of proficiency in performing them.

Therefore, once you get to the end of the Yoga part - and if you can do that without stopping - you should easily be able to complete the entire video without stopping.

 

Since I do streching X on Sundays I figured I could skip that part of the workout on Thursdays. I want to get through the moving yoga positions as you said, that is the majority of the workout.

Last night was the Core DVD and I noticed a big improvement in my performance. The only exercise I cannot do is the Dreya roll as I am so beat up by that point I have to take a break but after that I can finish it up. Other than the crazy Kata-run thingy.

 

The plank to chataranga run is hard. I go with the option of staying in plank the whole time - the guy Adam is the only one on the video that goes down to chataranga. Also, with the Dreya roll, I need to use my hands to push off to get back to the standing position. I suppose if you have enough speed built up, you can roll right to your feet, but I cannot do that - I use my hands to push myself to my feet as I come out of the roll.

EDIT: As for the second half of the Yoga video, the balance positions are completely different than the stretching part. So while I agree you don't really need the stretching parts if you're doing X Stretch, it may be worth your time to give the balance positions are whirl.

 

The way I attack P90X is I go until I cannot go any more unless I'm taking a water break. Yoga is killer in the 30 minutes I have done it. I was so beaten up by the 20 minute mark the first time and the 30 minute mark the second time that I had nothing left to continue on with the DVD. If I go longer than 1 minute for my break I quit as I know I'm done for that day.

A great example is I go pulled away from my Kenp DVD on Saturday for about 3 minutes, I only had 10 minutes or less left so I called it a day as I had no motivation to go back to it. To me taking a 1 minute break to catch your breath or to strech a body part is fine, but anything more is a sure sign to call it quit. That is how I roll.

Looking forward to Cardio X tonight.

 

Cardio X isn't bad at all, and I like Kenpo too - both are very doable workouts as far as I'm concerned, that can be completed with minimal breaks.

 

Yeah those two require little to no breaks. Core Syn. is another story.

The one more that I still cannot do is the Dreya roll. It kills me all the time.

 

Core Synergistics is tough, but I'm a freak when it comes to chest workouts, so maybe that's why I don't mind it too much, as chest is about 1/3 of the workout. As I said with the Dreya roll, it helps a ton if you use your hands to push yourself up. In talking to a friend who can do it without hands, he says the key is to come down fast to build momentum up so you can roll directly to your feet. As I said, I cannot do it without using hands, so maybe I'm not hte best person to give advice on it.

 

When I do the Dreya roll I use my hands; I'm not fast at all though. I get maybe 4 off by the time they do 10 or 12 or whatever. By the time I have to do the Dreya Roll I'm almost completely spent.

I do have to say that with the over/under sideway pushup I went from 4 reps on week 1 to 7 or 8 reps for week 3. That is a pretty good improvement.

 

Today I start my recovery week with P90X Lean program. This week it is all about Yoga X, Core Syn, Strech X, Cardio X and Kenp X. No true strength training videos this week. All core and cardio workouts.

Next week will be the same rountine as I have done the previous 3 week expect that instead of Arms and Shoulders it is going to be Triceps, Back and Chest.

 

This week is not going like I planned. I thought I wouldn’t have any issue with the workout or eating right. This week I have yet to get through a full workout. Monday I was doing Yoga and my legs started to cramp up on me really bad and that resulted in me doing about 20 minute of it if that. Than last night when I was doing the sideway lunges for Core X I felt extreme pain in my right knee which took me to the floor. I took an hour breather and some Ibuprofen and thought I should be able to go and hour or so later, that didn’t work either. So last night I got about 10-15 minute of exercise. So two nights now in a row I have not been able to exercise like normal.

As for my food consumption, I stuck to my diet really well the last week in September and my first week with P90X. Since than I went back to old habits of eating high calorie sugar foods and eating too much at dinner time. I really would like to get back on track with my diet. It is probably the biggest factor for me not loosing additional weight.

In fact, I have gain all the weight I lost since I changed my diet and I’m back up to 268lbs. I’m upset with myself and know I need to make a change but it is sticking with that change I’m having the hardest time with, diet wise. Exercise wise it is just figuring out how to get my body healed to go full steam again.

I’m seriously thinking about resting, no exercising, the rest of this week and starting P90X classic on Monday.

 

This past week has been anything but kind to me. My knee was pretty sore up until yesterday so I have not exercised in over a week. My for consumption has been horrible, even more so than before this past week. As for my weight, it went up to 269lbs. I’m a pound heavier than I was back in August when I start exercising again after 6 weeks off and I’m 6lbs heavier than I was when I started P90X in the beginning of October.

So, my goal is to find a way to get back on track. I know my goal hasn’t changed, it is just challenging because of the life I have lived and old habits are hard to break.

Here is to getting back on the horse, maybe not tonight or tomorrow but very soon.

 

It's sometimes hard to motivate yourself - especially when you don't see the results you were hoping for. Good luck getting back on track Munchkin.

 

Getting on track keeps on getting derailed. With grad school, family life and work it is hard to find enough time to complete a full P90X workout.

 

With a full-time job, a wife, and a 3-year old, I know what you mean. Sometimes I don't have time to do it until after I get my son to bed, which means starting the workout after 9:00 some nights. At that hour, working out is one of the last things I want to do.

 

Wait until your boy is in school and the teacher assigns the parents homework. My daughter is in Kindergarten and every night my wife or I have to sit with her and read to my daughter or have her read to us a specific book.

The funny thing with my daughter is that she is at a 1st grade level for her math, writing and reading skills. Since the school is against moving a child to the higher grades they have the parents of the advance children do extra work at night to help challenge the child.

And since I'm big on education I make it a priority for my wife and I to take part in my daughter's education. Growing up I didn't have support from my dad because he wasn't around or my mom because she barely squeeze out of high school. I want to make sure my daughter has that support and she will.

I'm in grad school not simply to obtain my MBA but because I want to teach at the local college/university. Two more years left and I will be done with my MBA. I may go get my M.S. in Accounting or Organizational Leadership after my MBA. Both require an additional 6 classes.

 

I recently saw that Tony Horton is making "P90X: MC2". (The MC stands for "muscle confusion".) As I am a recent purchaser of the product, I got an offer to kind of "beta test" (for lack of a better term) the videos. They offered to send me a video a month and try it out, and give them feedback. The thing is, the videos aren't free. They are offering them to me at 1/2 price what they'll charge for the completed videos, will charge me shipping and handling, and will give me a free set of the completed videos once they are finished.

I graciously declined. I don't want half-ass workout videos, and I want even less to have to pay for them. Perhaps, when they are finished, I'll buy them, and rotate between the two sets of videos.