P90X3: Day 5 of 90. CVX. Sweating.

And, we sweat.  CVX.  Boy, it looked easy on the DVD when I was previewing it.  I started with a 10 lb dumbbell.  Here is what I sounded like on the third set, "Lexieeeee???"

"What?" came the sound far away from my kitchen upstairs.

"There's a five lb dumbbell next to the fireplace...bring it down here quick!!"

Oh, the male ego.  Yes, I looked at the ladies.  Then, I looked at the guy in back.  Saw him grab a 10 while the ladies took less.  Well, I'm no lady.  I'll have what HE's having dammit.

This was a good workout.  With the fives, I finished and finished well.  Completed all circuits and sweat like a dog. THIS will someday be a favorite.

Day five update...there are muscles that were sore four days ago that feel stronger today.  What I realized doing P90X, and it seems to still hold true here, is that the next days exercises are designed to rest the previous days burnout.  That's what puts P90X at the top of my list.

Props to Traci Morrow, who I follow on Facebook.  She kicked ass on this workout.  Tony paid her a little too much attention but, hell, can you blame him?  Tony's jokes are still funny too, they keep me going.

Okay, all the best and tomorrow, when you get up, just do it one more time.  It gets easier.  Promise.

P90X3: Day 4 of 90. The Challenge.

The Challenge.  That about says it.  I don't have to add anything else.  My arms and chest hurt.  This is the first time I have done this in about 8 months, to repeat my other blogs.  I'm fried.  My reps weren't awesome...and I knew they wouldn't be.  I know how to handle this though.

Mentally, I know that how I did today is the bottom of the barrel benchmark.  We only get better from here.  I don't feel "bad" that I couldn't do what the folks on the DVD could do.  Really, I weigh about 15-18 lbs more right now than I did the first time I did this.  Also, I had been doing pushups back then.  Not this time.  So, in about four weeks, when I am down about 15 lbs, and my arms have been pushing all this extra weight, but it's not there anymore...watch me rock.

So, for now, to do the set, I do as much as I can and when I am burnt, I modify.  Down to the knees for pushups until I fail there as well.  As Neil Young would say, "It's better to burn out, than to die."  So tonight, I burnt out good.

The pullups?  I use the bands but they are modified for the pullup bar.  Some night, I will photograph it, because I've never seen anyone else doing it quite this way.  I may be a trend setter on this one.  I did many more pullups than pushups.  But, like I said, tonight was where we break off the rust.

Okay, time to check the kids' homework, take a shower, drink some protein/creatine, watch Weeds Season One reruns, and eat some fruit, and sleep.

Food tip for the day.  It starts with a question.  What comes in a jar, is about four inches long by an inch thick, and if you eat four of them, you are full and have only eaten 20 calories?  Glassen Kosher Dill Pickle Halves.  When I feel a need to snack, I eat two. 

P90X3: Day 3 of 90. Yoga X. I'm the Chairman.

I'm the Chairman.  More accurately, the Chair Man.  Yoga is not my thing.  I freely admit it.  There are those that I have done P90X with that are probably laughing right now.  I am fairly flexible.  I am also very bulky in terms of muscle.  Big in the thighs, barrel chested, big calves.  I have never been what you could call "lean."  Also, I kind of pulled something last night (more on that in a minute), so I'm a bit tender in some areas today.  That's my mea culpa.  I am not a Yoga guy.  To add to that, in P90X, Yoga is 90 minutes.  That's right, 90 minutes.  I hated it.  I cursed all the way through it.  I made fun of (because in my home, alone, I have that luxury...) everyone on the DVD and I would curse Tony every time he failed to do balanced reps.  Basically, I was surly and didn't need a reason to 'get my hate on.'

P90X3 Yoga is only 30 minutes.  Seriously?  You had me at 'hello.'  Yes, it is still Yoga.  And yes, it still has things I will NEVER be able to do unless I have some serious gene therapy and alter my body's structural design.  But, at 30 minutes, I will work through it.  It does still have the same flaw as every other Yoga DVD and that is, as you are focusing on what you are doing, they are progressing to the next move.  And, I swear, Tony Horton has HDD and just moves without telling you he's going.  That's fine too.  I'll catch up.  Hell, at 30 minutes, I'll hit pause and repeat it.  Not a problem.

So, I actually am cool with P90X3 Yoga X.  Now, for my injury.  It's cured.  Don't know how.  Don't care.  The muscles felt great today, just a little stiff...and Yoga and stretching was the perfect cure.  Loved doing it today.  Don't know what did it, the Protein, the Creatine or the Ice...maybe all three.  Either way, I felt like a million bucks doing Yoga X tonight.

Finally, why am I the Chairman?  or Chair man?  You should see me trying to do some of these poses.  It's ridiculous.  Now, I can do one of two things.  I can NOT do the pose, or I can find a way to do it so that I can stretch, achieve some balance and improve for the day when I can do the pose without help.  That's where the chair comes in handy.  I will use it to balance but only for the second I am losing my balance.  Then, I let go.  Sometimes I just use it to get into position.  Is it cheating?  Not really, it's cheating if you don't do it.  (In my mind, anyway.)

"Now, pull you foot into your crotch area and grab your toe.  Now, extend your leg straight out without letting go of the toe."  Really?  Dude, I have breakable stuff in my house.  I can fall and cover 15 feet of room.  That's just the balance part.  Also, you would think last night's injury would have kept me from doing that one.  Nope.  It's the extending of the leg, of course.  If you think touching your toes is tough, you are never going to make it through that.  What I do is slide my hand to my calf and I have the chair under the extended leg.  I lift the leg for as long as I can and hold it.  If I let it down, it's for a moment and then back up.  When I did P90X, by the last phase, no chair was needed.  You do what you have to do to get through the workout.  Make it happen.  Be the catalyst for your own change!  Good luck and see you in the AM!