Day 41 of P90X - Rest

I have an awful lot on my plate today so once again I'm flipping the schedule and using my rest for today. Wasn't actually what I had planned and I'm feeling pretty blue that I missed it but I got some things done that desperately needed tending to. Like cleaning out the garage. Whats that have to do with a fitness blog? Well you see, tucked "neatly" in the corner of my garage is a nautilus machine that's been used as a every thing from a clothes rack and garden hose holder to a rocket ship for Charlie. I thought I might start implementing it with p90x, maybe do a few finishing moves that correspond with that days work out.

I'm already starting to worry about my 60 day pics. Mostly because the pics are the single most telling signs that I've been working my butt off! The safe bet would be to pair my 60 day pics with my day 1 pics but I'm afraid I would be misleading myself. I have to match day 60's with day 30's and I just don't think the results are going to be as noticeable. Unless, I really, really bring it these next 19 days. So, that's my motivation, my phase 2 pics HAVE to be as equally impressive (to me) as my phase 1 pics. I like that, really gives me something to shoot for and something I know I can reach. Who's gonna stop me, you? Bring It! 49 more days to go.

Day 40 fo P90X - Legs & Back

Damn it! Another bombed leg routine. I just can't get it. By the time I reach the half way point I'm totally spent, I don't know what to do about this. I'm eating a light healthy breakfast an hour beforehand, had a great nights sleep...clueless. I've had great results with 5 Hour Energy in the past, maybe I'll try it next time. I've heard em say if your feeling tired slip some recovery formula in your water, any thoughts? Kinda sick right now, maybe to much caffeine this morning? Man this is gonna bug me, I'm gonna have to come up with a better plan of attack for this son of a....! 50 more days to go.

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Inspirational quote of the day

"No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe"

Day 39 of P90X - Kenpo X

Wow, wow ,wow...Awesome work out this morning, sweats just pouring off of me and hopefully a little goo too. Man when I got finished I just felt amazing, total euphoria. I feel like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or at least going for a run or something. I really do need to get a heart rate monitor though, couple of times I felt like I was pushing the edge and my pride wouldn't let me rest, kept thinking to myself, I won't be denied! Ya, unless I have a coronary on the bedroom floor.

Once again I've switched up the routine, I do it so much I'm thinking about changing it to D90X! I'm hitting my strength days as required but I'm changing my conditioning days to suit how my bodies feeling. Just didn't want to do a lot of jumping around today, saving myself for the dreaded leg routine tomorrow. 51 more days to go.

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Inspirational quote of the day

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."

Day 38 of P90X - Back & Biceps

I had to get up at 5:30 this morning to get this one in, man I forgot how enjoyable that is....Anyways, happy to report that I was able to go up in weights as planned and was still able to keep my reps identical, so I guess I'll increase again next time, why not? Wasn't able to get in my kenpo routine last night, ended up getting slammed with work and was pretty well spent when I got off. Abs tonight for sure, I'm still way too soft in my core. I can flex and see my abs but there still snuggled under a layer of goo. I want them to be tight so bad! Hopefully I can shed another 2 inches of my waist this phase, that's my goal. Gotta have goals people and you gotta want it. I want it badly!

Inspirational quote of the day

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

Day 37 of P90X - Cardio X

Technically, today should have been plyometrics but I'm just getting over the soreness hump and I think that might have been to much for me. Cardio X makes a great supplemental work out and I can tell I really pushed it hard this morning cause I'm feeling a little sickly right now. Today's a double routine, so I'm planning on doing Kenpo X when I get off work tonight. I have dentist appointment tomorrow morning, right during my work out time which means I'll to have to get up extra early to get that one in. Gonna be tiresome. Oh well, how bad do I want it? 53 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"This one step - choosing a goal and sticking to it - changes everything."

Day 36 of p90X - Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

I had surprisingly good work out today considering I partied like Keith Richards this weekend. Speaking of which, I really need to start focusing now about how I'm going to live a little bit more conservatively come this weekend. Anyways felt strong throughout and I was able to increase reps across half the board. Feels good to work some of that goo out. Weigh in and Ab Ripper X tonight. 54 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do."

Day 35 of P90X - Rest

I was suppose to do a round of Kenpo X today but after yesterday's leg routine...I can't. A two week layoff from leg training has left me with with some serious leg and booty soreness. My kenpo skills are laughable at best anyways, add to the fact that I can hardly sit on the toilet and I just know this routine would have been a lost cause.

I had five really strong work outs this week and I feel good about that but I'm always questioning if I can do more. Not to mention that I had a serious lapse in my diet this weekend, badly. I will weigh myself Monday night as usual but I'm not going to post the results, I know they won't be favorable. So, time for some re dedication. I'm planning on doing the doubles routine and adding Cardio X on the nights that I don't do strength training, Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday's. I know for a fact that I haven't been taking in enough water and since I work 2nd shift I'm going to try and drink 64 oz before work and another 36 oz at work. Hopefully that will help out with my recovery time and my overall well being. Planning on maybe adding some whey protein some time this week. Going to also try and adjust my sleeping pattern a little bit, earlier to bed and earlier to rise and adding a 20-30 minute rest around noon to help prevent me from crashing once i get to work. 55 more days to go.

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Inspirational quote of the day

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."

Day 34 of P90X - Legs & Back

Man oh man do I hate this routine. Burn city, plus I cant believe how much cardio it takes out of me, some major huffing and puffing going on. It doesn't help that my legs are seriously weak and skinny. To say that I had chicken legs would be an insult to chickens. I've got a goal of 16+" for my biceps by the end of phase 2, so I need a goal for my quads. I was able to gain about a 1/2" the first phase which put me at 22 1/4", I'm thinking an even 23" by the end of this phase would be nice. Chickens beware. 56 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Wealth is the ability to fully experience life."

Day 33 of P90X - Rest

Today is lost. My work schedule didn't allow me anytime to work out before hand and only a small window afterwards. Unfortunately that small window of time was spent crawling through the attic with an auger in an attempt to unclog our dryer vent...arrrrgh! Talk about a pain in the...man! I fought with it and fought with it and come to find, out all it took was a little bit of cussin and bam...DONE!

So, I've thrown the towel in on today's workout and I'm sipping on a beer instead. Whats worse is one of the teachers at work bought me lunch for helping her wash one of her students wheelchairs. I couldn't refuse her generosity, besides, I wanted it...I wanted it bad. Now i haven't had any fast food in like 6 weeks and let me tell you it was good, sinfully good. We're also planning on going to a bonfire Saturday night, which means beer, burgers and brats.I think that's going to be my last hurrah for awhile. I can't be true to my goals all week long and then set aside my dedication and hard work for a good time,even if is for just one night.The thing that sucks is I hate the leg routine and I was so ready to go beast mode on it today!

Every week is better than the last and I really want to finish it out strongly. So today will be my rest day and I'll do back & legs tomorrow and Kenpo X on Sunday. I feel like after nearly 5 weeks of this, there's a lot more that I can give. The last time I made slight adjustments to the work out, my body responded positively. So Monday I'm planning on doing some modifications again, a few lifestyle changes, adjusting my work out time and more. I've got my end goal in mind and nothings going to stop me from reaching it. 57 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it."

Day 32 of P90X - Cardio X

I'm really amazed at how I can blast through this routine, its still tough but no where near as tough as it was. Lots of room for improvement and raising the intensity level but I'm getting more and more out of it every time. Flipping my work schedule again tomorrow and its the leg routine...ugh! Definitely going to have to get my mind right for that one, dreading it for now. 58 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Knowing your destination is half the journey."

Day 31 of P90X - Back & Biceps

Wow...I'm beat. I know I said today was going to be like day 1 all over again and it sure feels like it. The strange thing is, I've never been so sore and so tired and yet felt so great, very strange indeed. As far as the workout itself, loved it, lots of curls and lots of pull ups. I've upped the weights from my last phase and I think I'm going to go even heavier next time, feeling strong. I'd really like to see my biceps at 16 + inches at the end of this phase. My arms have always been pretty toned so I know that any gains there will be strictly muscle. Yoga X tomorrow and I'm saying it right now, ain't doing it! Its Cardio X for me. Little bit of stretching, little bit of yoga and a good amount of cardio, suits me just fine. 59 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Begin with the end in mind."

Day 30 of P90X - Plyometrics

With the update this morning, I didn't have time to include today's workout. Plyometrics, what can I say? I wasn't looking forward to it at all, as usual. That all changed about 5 minutes before I started, I thought to myself instead of dreading this why not give it your all instead, I mean if I'm going to do this and I am going to do this, why not bring some intensity to it? And I did. Don't get me wrong, I still got my tail handed to me but I was able to really bring it. Now I know I'm always saying I'm going to bring it blah blah blah and I do but this time it was on a different level...determination is the only word that comes to mind. Of course that was 12 hours ago and now I'm a sore SOB!

I'm on my way to my next update 30 days away. I'm going to play this phase the same way, hopefully improve everyday, push my limits and tighten up on my diet. Though I feel like I've grown quite a bit with this program I still have a long road ahead of me. As far as I'm concerned tomorrow is Day 1. Time to bring it all over again! 60 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day.

"We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing."

Day 30 of P90X - ***Update***

Well I finally made it to day 30. Its went by pretty quickly and I've put in a lot of grunting and groaning in that time.I also learned some things along the way...One, there is no quick fix or magic pill, only hard work and dedication. Two, I've never tried to lose weight before and I never realized how damn hard it is to do so. And three, P90X is EXTREME!

So, the results are in and I'm really happy with where I am. I guess the numbers could be better but that's all they are...numbers. Sure, I could have tightened my diet and I could have pushed it a little harder. Then again, I could of just as easily got burned out or grew resentful, maybe even called it quits...but I didn't. I think I did the best that I could do these last 30 days and I can't expect anything more from myself. Besides, I got 60 more days to improve...I'm right on track.

I'm not going to swear by these measurements, I had the Mrs. help me and it seemed like every time we measured something, particularly chest and shoulders, the numbers changed. I'm no seamstress, so in all fairness, all the numbers I posted are what I would consider to be the numbers that showed the least amount of favoritism.

Day 29 of P90X - Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

First day of phase 2 yippee. I really liked this workout, its nice to get back to some strength and resistance training. Tons of push ups (just for you Lisa), my triceps and chest feel pretty weak right now. Freaking plyometrics tomorrow sure didn't miss them! Big update tomorrow! 61 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"New habits make new horizons."

Day 28 of P90X - Run

All in all, its been a good week and today in particular has been beautiful. After spending a better part of the afternoon working in the yard, I didn't want to be couped up inside for an hour long p90x routine, it was just to nice out. I decided to go for a run instead but the thought of doing laps around the neighborhood bored me, so I loaded a very eager Phoebe into the car and headed down to the river. We did a 3 mile run on a historic section of trail to a town long since forgotten. The trail itself was awesome, covered in leaves that crunched beneath our feet while the sun shined down on us through trees filled with amazing colors. Phoebe had a ball and I ran like a kid again, lots of fun!

I'm starting phase two tomorrow, took a sneak peek at this weeks routine's, looks like I've got a lot of new exercises in store for me. Also went to the sporting goods store and picked up 40lbs of plates for my dumbbells. I'm planning on cutting back on reps and increasing the weights in hopes of putting on some muscle during this phase. Going to start compiling my new stats and pics, should have them up on Tuesday, just in time for my 30 day update. 62 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better."

Day 27 0f P90X - Kenpo X, ARX, Core Synergistics

Well between the girls soccer playoffs, the Bucks getting spanked and Charlie's trophy presentation (his first trophy!) I still managed to get in 3 workouts today. CRAZY! If you've done P90x then you know how fast paced it is, the breaks are few and far between. So when I say that I worked out for a total of about 2 1/2 hours, you can bet the intensity was extreme...and I loved it! 63 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Day 26 0f P90X - Rest

Fortunately for me, this program affords you 4 rest days for this phase and I've elected to use number 3 today and thankfully, its been a great day! It feels good to relax and not think about the program for once. I'm nearing the end of this phase and I'm planning on finishing super strong, can't wait for Tuesday's 30 day update! Can you say Bring It? 64 days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Forty in the mirror... twenty in the heart."

Day 25 of P90X - X Stretch

Not much to add today, nice easy stretch this morning. I thought I might take a shot at ab ripper x but somehow midway thru I lost my motivation. Weathers crappy, I'm hungry, I'm sore and I'm tired. Working and alternate shift yet again tomorrow which should really knock me on my butt. Good thing is, I'll be getting off early and I'm thinking about having a beer with my buddy from work. Maybe get all dolled up, let my hair down and have my regrets about it later. 65 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"If you can't beat em, join em."

Day 24 of P90X - Kenpo X

I brought it today, best kenpo work out so far. Happy to say that I completed all my exercise goals yesterday as well. No extracurricular activities planned for today, just going to keep my diet tight and be contempt with the work that I did this morning. X Stretch tomorrow, YAY! 66 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Live the life you've always imagined."

Day 23 of P90X - Core Synergistics

First impressions of core synergistics, I likey. For some reason I didn't think it was going to be so challenging (duh!) but I did very well , you might even say I impressed myself. That's the funny thing about P90x, its such a roller coaster of a ride. After some work outs I feel like I've conquered the world and after others, it feels like I'm holding it on my shoulders.

I'm still buggin about yesterday's weigh in, its got me second guessing if I'm really bringing it. Lets not forget that I'm a 40 year old ex smoker, what if my definition of bringing it, is what some people consider a warm up? So, for now I feel great and I've decided that I'm really going to test my limits this week, so long as I have the energy and I'm not sore or injured. Then maybe I'll know if I'm bringing it or not. I did a 2 mile run last night, core synergistics today, ab ripper x tonight and another 2 mile run after that. Sound like fun? 67 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough."

Day 22 of P90X - Yoga X ***Updated***

I'm still on the fence about this particular routine. I was able to meet my goal and eclipse my previous duration by a few minutes. Whats giving me the most fits is balance or should I say lack of. I'm awful shaky in many of the poses and I think that makes it even more fatiguing. It was however slightly more enjoyable then my last attempt, will try to push further next time. Weigh in tonight will update later. 68 more days to go.

Update

After having my best training week so far, I'm very disappointed to report that I lost a total of zero pounds this week. I'm a little frustrated right now just because I really worked my ass off! I'm looking over every post last week and I can remember how hard a brought it and how much I sweated and how much it hurt...for what? To break even? I've entertained the idea that maybe I lost some fat and gained some muscle but I think that's more of an attempt to make myself feel better than anything else.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection."

Day 21 of P90X - X Stretch

Very late in my posting today, in fact I just finished X Stretch at about eight o'clock. Its by far one of my favorite routines, not only because its the easiest but because I really do feel better afterwards.

Week three is over and I'm moving into my recovery week. Don't let the name fool you. It looks like two days of Core Synergistics, two days of Yoga X , two days of X stretch , a day of Kenpo X and three days of Ab Ripper X.

Weigh in tomorrow night, as usual will update later that evening. I've done really well on my diet but I'm going to try to improve on it even more this week. My 30 day pictures are right around the corner and I'd really, really like to see some improvements. 69 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live."

Day 20 of P90X - Rest

Super busy day today. Between soccer games (Charlie got another goal!) shopping for ever growing girls, the Buc's game, hayrides and bonfires, there just isn't enough time for a quality work out. So, I'm swapping days, "rest" today and I'm thinking X Stretch tomorrow, maybe a light run. 70 more days to go.

Day 19 of P90X - Back & Legs

Running late today, my daughter is ill and home from school so I opted to take the day off with her. I've been lounging all morning and not looking forward to todays workout. This is the one that I crapped out on last week and I really don't like it. I love the burn I get in my arms, chest and shoulders but I hate the burn that I get in my legs. I thought maybe looking at my day one pics might motivate me some and it did. As much as I hate the burn I get from leg workouts I hate hate hate my day one pics. I can't wait to update them because every time I see them, I see Fat Dave and he's saying "C'mon man...have a Budweiser, one chocolate pop tart ain't going to kill ya" and sometimes I just wanna punch Fat Dave in his FACE! 71 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"There is no achievement without goals."

Day 18 of P90X - Cardio X & ARX

They say great bodies are made in the kitchen and not in the gym. I had a little slip up last night. I knew there was going to be some fights on TV and I knew I had A frozen pizza in the fridge. All I was lacking was some cool ones so on my way home from work I stopped and got a six pack. Just a little bump in the road and though I was feeling a little sketchy this morning, I knew I had to pay the fiddler. So I punished myself for my little indulgences.... Cardio X and Ab Ripper X back to back no breaks. No cryin and moanin either and I brought it with the same intensity as I had in the previous days. That'll teach me for having a good time. 72 more days to go.

Insprirational quote of the day

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."

Day 17 of p90X - Shoulders & Arms

What can I say? Another smashing good work out! I'm really coming into my zone or something or maybe I'm just getting acclimated to this phase. I'm starting to see subtle changes in the mirror, my body looks like its shrank a little and appears to be, I don't know,younger? Kinda strange. I'm also losing my man boobs too, ha ha. It's ironic, I'm trying to lose what some women pay good money for : )

Anyways, I don't want to do Yoga X or X stretch tomorrow, so I'm going to do something that incorporates all of it...Cardio X. This was the first work out I did before I even started doing P90X and it hurt me in a bad way so I'm curious to see how we match up now.

It was raining last night so no run and in all honesty I wasn't going to anyways. Sometimes my brain thinks it can do more than what my body can. I figure my diets solid and I'm pushing my limits everyday. That's more than enough to keep me content. I made a commitment to complete this 90 day program, not to run a 5k. I'm not giving up on running entirely but I'm not going to run myself ragged either. Seeing this through until December 21st is my number one priority. 73 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it."

Day 16 of P90X - Plyometrics

Whatever I'm doing it must be working. Had another phenomenal work out this morning. My body seems to adjusting to the new schedule nicely, though it is a little more hectic and Charlie doesn't like sharing the TV with me at all.

Contrary to what I said in an earlier post, I may go for a run tonight. There is a local 5k on the 7th of November and I think I'd like to give it a shot before old man winter sidelines my running for the season. 74 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely."

Day 15 of P90X - Chest & Back ***Updated***

Well evidently the adjustments I spoke of yesterday worked cause I kicked this workouts ass! Nearly an hour later and I still feel pumped, arms and chest are tight. I'm so stoked right now, this workout has given me fits from day one and to be its master this time around feels really, really good.

I'm going fairly lean with my diet today, will weigh in tonight, hopefully I'll see positive results.Will update later. 75 days to go.

Update

Why am I all the sudden nervous about stepping on the scales, what the hell is that all about? Anyways, I lost 3 pounds. I can't complain, I'm not starving myself,in fact I'm eating well. Apparently Saturday's are going to be known as "The Day of Gluttony" because ever since i started I've had my fill of food and drink on that day and yet I've still been able to lose 8 lbs of USDA ground beef. Starting weight 217 current weight 209

Inspirational quote of the day

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."

Day 14 of P90X - Rest

Went to a very nice wedding and reception yesterday. I ate, drank and was very merry and it was very much needed. The last day of the week is optional, X Stretch or rest, I'm choosing the latter. I've been up and working out at 5:45 every morning for the last 13 days straight and its time for a break . Though I've been very tempted to go for a run, I think the rest will serve me better. I am however worried about tomorrow nights weigh in.

Next week is the final week of phase one followed by a recovery week so I'm really going to try and blast through it. My plan all along has been to get up early and do my workout first thing so that its done and out of the way. I'm now going to change that because I feel like I'm pretty tired when I workout, my motivations low and I'm working hard on an empty stomach. My energy levels which peaked mid week have plummeted since. So I'm going to start working out at 9:00am. I'll get a little bit more sleep and have a nutritious breakfast with an all day energy multivitamin two hours prior to starting. I feel like I've hit a wall and hopefully these changes will help me get over it. 76 days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures."

Day 13 of P90X - Kenpo X

And yet another half ass workout followed by a so so run in part because I'm dog tired and suffering from a minor buttimus maximus injury. I really cranked out Ab Ripper X last night
and took a shot at 100 push ups (and failed) so I'm getting some work in.

Yesterdays poor performance has been dragging me down. I really need to step back and re-evaluate where I'm at. The last time I worked out this intensely was for a local tough man contest in the winter of 94'. Some how I need to humble myself and realize that I'm 15 years removed from any kind of physical conditioning. In that time I've slowly wasted away and I'm not going to get it back in 2 weeks, 2 months or maybe even 2 years but one things for certain, if I don't get up off my ass I ain't EVER getting it back.

If I'm not even going to try, then this right here and right now is the best shape I'm going to be in for the rest of my life...and that's not good enough! 77 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams."

Day 12 of P90X - Back & Legs

I'm starting to think that last nights run wasn't such a good idea. Yes. I slept good, too good, did not want to get out of bed this morning. Secondly I don't know if it was because of the run or it being Friday but I just felt run down this morning and it showed. My workout was crap, total crap...Starting to wear down a little bit, cranky as well. Next two workouts "should" be more manageable and being so, I might be able to afford a run or two to make up for this garbage I did today. Note to self, no more night runs. 78 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."

Update

Decided to go for a 2 mile run tonight. I just didn't feel like I worked hard enough today, at least not hard enough to get what I want. Kinda feel like I cheated my goal. Plus, I've heard many say that running helps to clear the mind. Thats what I need and don't know why. Its not like i have a lot on my mind, just a bunch of little things that don't amount to much I guess.

So...this time I left my Ipod and my dog at home and journeyed out with only the rain, some puddles and my breathing to accompany me. Its amazing, I start off horrible, wheezing and gasping the first half mile and then breathing almost calmly the last. I was able to calm my mind down a bit too, should sleep well tonight.

Day 11 of P90X - Yoga X

42 minutes. That's how far I got into this 93 minute, pretzel bending, clay molding routine. I'm trying to not let it get me down but man, either these people our amazingly flexible or I'm just in really, rigid condition to say the least. I have my goal set, which is to eclipse my 42 minute mark and each following mark set from there on out.

Frustrations aside, I don't know whats going on with my body but I have felt wonderful everyday this week. Even being sore a little bit here and there, I feel great! I have a somewhat physically demanding job, on my feet quite a bit, probably walk a good 3 miles a night, lots of bending,stooping and lifting yet oddly enough,work has been a breeze. Maybe I'll feel even better today and that might peak my interest in becoming more pretzel like. 79 more days to go.

Inspirational quote of the day

"The only reason it's lonely at the top is because so few aim for it."