A new workout. Back and Biceps! This was a tough one. I forgot how exhausting this one was. Basically, you perform 24 exercises. The flow is pull up exercise, back exercise, then 2 bicep exercise, repeat 6 times. Pull ups become very difficult due to the fact that you are blasting your biceps…holy crap. Also, there are some new pull ups versions in this workout, specifically the towel pull up and the corn cob pull up…

Yes, they sound goofy but boy do they work! The towel pull up is one arm on the bar, the other arm gripping a towel that is hanging over the bar. You switch the towel to the other hand every 3 reps. This move totally blasts your back in a different way. I tend to feel it in my lower lats (at least on the side holding the towel). The corn cob pull ups are probably the toughest move in P90X. What you do is: pull yourself up, slide to the right, then to the left, back to center, out and then in, all while you are in the contracted position with your head over the bar. Talk about tough. I was only able to complete 6 reps! With a chair! I also think that pull ups are a lot harder in the workout because of all the bicep work you are doing, which leaves your back to do all the work in the pull ups.

All in all, it was a good workout. I definitely pushed myself hard and I will be shooting for higher reps next week in the pull up exercises!

I know you probably think I am sick in the head, but I really missed the PlyoX workout! If you know about P90X or have been reading my blog, you know that during the recovery week, you get a break from the PlyoX workout. Some people love that they get a break, my wife included; I on the other hand, miss the workout. PlyoX has grown to be one of my favorite workouts in the P90X program. It is tough, but fun. It is long, but moves quick. What I mean by that is the video itself is 59 minutes, but the actual plyo moves are broken up into 6 sets, 2 rounds each set and 3 30 second exercises and 1 60 second exercise in each round. Eventhough the moves can be tough, I have to agree with Tony Horton and to quote him “you can do anything for 30 seconds.”

This statement may seem meaningless to you right now. However, all kidding aside, remembering it has gotten me through the plyo workout. Knowing in your head that the intense exercise you are performing is only going to last 30 seconds makes it a lot easier to deal with. In fact, when I get into the jump knee tucks, which is the mother of all plyo moves, I repeat Tony’s statement in my head over and over. 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds. By the time I repeat it 3 times, the exercise is done. Just keep that in mind when you are having a tough time getting through the plyo workout. Take it 30 seconds at a time. Small steps, small goals lead to big results!!!

Started Phase II today with Chest Shoulder and Triceps. What an intense workout. What I like most about this one is that there are 24 different moves, no repeaters! It is about 55 minutes long with a 7+minute warm up. There are a lot of variation to push ups, some of which are way more difficult than the others.

Basically, the workout goes like this: Chest move, Shoulder move, Tricep move. 24 moves total so 8 for each body part. I do have to say the the hardest move, I found, was the slow motion push ups. In this move, you lower your body for a 4 count and push it up for a 4 count…tough stuff. I also did this workout at 9 pm, after a long day in the sun watching my son kick butt on the baseball field! (he go the MVP in his tournament-he is only 8 but I’ll get him on P90X soon haha), so it was definitely a challenge for me. However, my wife, Coach Laura, did it with me and she really helped motivate me to keep pushing ahead! We are both doing P90X, but because of our schedules and the kids, we don’t always get to workout together. This was a nice surprise. It is always a good thing to have a workout partner, especially because it keeps you accountable!.

Anyways, time to go enjoy my Sunday and hit up some Plyo later today…..

Sometimes we find it hard to get motivated. Today was one of those days

Well, I made it through my last day of the recovery week. Today was Yoga X (although the correct schedule would have been rest, but had to change things around). I had a had time waking up for this workout today. I was up late Thursday doing some work and didn’t really sleep well. So, when my alarm went off at 5:45am, I dreaded getting up! 90 minutes of yoga, I thought, is going to suck. But, I pulled myself out of bed and pushed play. It took a good 10 minutes to really get into what I was doing because at first I just didn’t have the motivation. As the workout went on, I found it easier to get motivated. Maybe because I started to wake up, maybe because the moves are getting easier….either way, I made it through the workout.

I want you all to know that there are going to be days like this. I am not perfect, no one is. Some days will be harder than others to find time or motivation to workout. This was the first one for me during this round of P90X and I am sure it will not be the last. However, I still made sure I pushed play. As long as you do that, you will succeed.

BTW, checked weight today and after 28 days on P90X I am down 9 pounds!!!! Not too shabby!

Here is a quick video of a Chocolate Mocha Shakeology recipe I have been using. I hope you enjoy!

The P90X is an extreme workout program created by Tony Horton, which people of all ages, shapes and sizes are using to get extreme results. Many people ask the questions: can I use P90X for weight loss? The answer is yes. P90X provides three different workout schedules, Classic, Lean and Doubles, which are described briefly below, but one in particular is the perfect schedule to provide real weight loss – P90X Doubles.
First, a quick overview of the Classis and Lean schedules:

“Classic”

Most people that use P90X start with this schedule. This is where I started. The Classic Workout Schedule is provides the best combination of weight training and cardiovascular exercise routine allowing people to achieve phenomenal results. This schedule is also perfect for anyone limited in time since the longest workout, Yoga X, is 1.5 hours. The rest of the workouts run between 52-59 minutes.

If you chose to follow the Classic routine and follow the P90X diet guide, you will obtain great results. The actual schedule runs 6 days a week, with an optional workout on the 7th day, and looks like this:

1. Day 1: Chest and Back + Ab Ripper X
2. Day 2: Plyometrics
3. Day 3: Shoulders and Arms+ Ab Ripper X
4. Day 4: Yoga X
5. Day 5: Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X
6. Day 6: Kempo X
7. Day 7: Off or X Strech

Now, the above schedule is for Phase I, first 3 weeks. The fourth week is a recovery week, with different routines. In weeks 5-7 and 9-12, the schedule is the same except for the fact that the resistance workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays change. Again, week 8 and 13 are the recovery week. The Classic P90X Workout Schedule is perfect for those ready to get extreme results, not necessarily losing a ton of weight, but truly changing their body.

“Lean”

The Lean Workout Schedule focuses more on cardio conditioning than resistance exercises. This schedule is perfect for those people that want to start slow or have a lot more weight to loss. IT will allow you to trim down significantly before putting on muscle. Anyone that is concerned with being able to handle the intense workouts of the Classic routine, this is the place to start.
Here is just a quick peek at what the Lean schedule looks like (just example of types of workouts – they change every phase):

1. Day 1: Core Synergistics
2. Day 2: Cardio X
3. Day 3: Shoulders and Arms + Ab Ripper X
4. Day 4: Yoga X
5. Day 5: Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X
6. Day 6: Kempo X
7. Day 7: Off or X Stretch

Now, the above schedule is for Phase I, first 3 weeks. The fourth week is a recovery week same as the Classic Schedule, with different routines. In weeks 5-7, the schedule is the same except for the fact that the resistance workout on Wednesday changes. Week 8 and 13 are the recovery week.

The one interesting part of the Lean routine is Phase III. In this phase, you will start to transition to a more Classic type schedule, preparing your body for your next round of P90X. As you can see, the Lean schedule is designed as a lead up into Classic schedule. However, if you really want to blast your body to new heights, you must try Doubles.

The Quickest Way to Blast Fat and Reshape Your Body

“Doubles”

Double is the best way to lose the most weight will doing P90X. It is not for the faint of heart. However, it is for those people that can handle the workouts, but have a lot of weight to lose. I know a lot of former athletes that have put on the “marriage 20” and have used Doubles to get back in tremendous shape, some to the best shape of their lives. Now please understand, with Doubles you will need a lot more dedication and time, upwards of 2 hours and 20 minutes on some days (split between 2 workouts). After Phase I , in most cases you will begin your day with Cardio X, which is about 45 minutes long. Later on that day or in the evening, you will perform your resistance workout plus Ab Ripper X.

The Doubles schedule looks a lot like the Classic schedule, at least in Phase I. This changes in Phase II by adding 3 cardio workouts each week on top of the resistance workouts. In phase III, the intensity is amped up again by adding a fourth Cardio X workout. The actual schedule, at least for Phase II, looks like this:

1. Day 1: AM – Cardio X / PM – Chest, Shoulder and Triceps + Ab Ripper X
2. Day 2: Plyometrics
3. Day 3: AM – Cardio X/ PM – Bach and Biceps + Ab Ripper X
4. Day 4: Yoga X
5. Day 5: AM – Cardio X / PM –Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X
6. Day 6: Kempo X
7. Day 7: Off or X Stretch

This is an extreme schedule! In Phase III, you will add another morning Cardio X session. AS you can see, this Doubles schedule is sure to blast away fat and completely reshape your body. Many people have seen weight loss results upwards of 25 pounds. What a truly incredible workout program P90X is.

Well, I hope this general overview of the P90X workout schedules was informative. Remember, if you are looking for extreme weight loss and body reshaping, go with the Doubles routine. It is the quickest way to the body you desire. But regardless of the schedule you chose, just keep pushing play!

I know, I know. I switched the recovery week schedule around a bit. Today, it should actually be core if I was following the actual schedule. However, I had to throw my rest day in the middle of the week, which pushed everything back a day. Then, I decided to flip flop Yoga X and Core since I did not want to do Core the day before Chest/Shoulders and Triceps! That is asking for a beating. But I digress…

Well, I had another great workout today. I really pushed hard because I wanted to increase my numbers on the prison cell push ups, as well as the staggered hand, staggered foot push ups. Both exercise…reps increased! Awesome. I cannot stress enough how effective P90X is. I had torn pec surgery in March and I was able to do 30 staggered hand, staggered foot push ups today….no knees. Unreal. I can’t wait to weight myself tomorrow to see if I actually lost more weight. Down 8 pounds through the first 3 weeks…..I guess we will see what tomorrow brings!

One last update for those people in the Southwest Pennsylvania area. We are starting a Fit Club in the coming months so follow me on facebook and twitter for more updates!

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No matter what you think, please do not skip this workout. I cannot stress enough the importance of X-Stretch. Some people I have talked to about P90X say that if there is one workout that you can miss, it is X-Stretch. I completely disagree with that school of thought. Stretching is not only important for recovery, but also for muscle growth. When you stretch your muscles, it helps lengthen the fibers, which in turn can give you a bigger range of motion in your exercises. By having a larger range, your body will be stressed to a whole new degree, bringing on new muscle growth.

This video takes your body, from top to bottom, and stretches it in every way possible. Doing this during the recovery week helps to prime your muscle for Phase II of P90X and new muscle growth. You absolutely cannot skip this workout. I know for some people, 57 minutes of stretching can be like fingernails on a chalkboard. To me, 57 minutes of stretching is 57 minutes of pure bliss. I love the feeling of my muscles gently pulling apart, fiber by fiber, to the point of painful pleasure. After completing this workout, my body feels completely refreshed and primed for my next workout…..

Trust me, never skip X-Stretch!!