(Round 2) Day 12: Rest

Well, I didn't really mean to take today off. Hence I'm giving it a title of 'rest.'

Consider this my first blunder in 100+ days.

Gotta get my game back in gear this weekend and next week. Starts with kenpo (or some sort of cardio) tomorrow.

(Round 2) Day 11: Stretch X, Rest

Traded yoga for an off day today.

Next week I plan on working out more than giving in to p90x's recovery week, so today was an off day.

I haven't run in a while. Just haven't had a ton of time lately. Perhaps this weekend I'll try to get back into it. I've gotta say that when I was running consistently I did notice a difference in my body. Looked thinner and definitely felt thinner. Maybe my recovery week will just be a lot of running.

(Round 2) Day 10: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X

While my numbering restarted on day 1 of Round 2, today is officially day 100. Let me go back to Day 10:

"Double digit days. If I ever get to triple digits it means I'm doing this program (for better or for worse) a second time."

I'd say this is definitely for the better. Quadruple digits? Don't count on it. It'll be 2013 when that day comes.

Shoulders and arms today. I know I've said it before, but I should get some dumbbells. Bands are going to keep cutting up my arms, which is good, but I should add some size to my biceps.

Everything else was good today, ending with abs.

Yoga day tomorrow, we'll see what transpires.

(Round 2) Day 9: Plyometrics

Plyo today, no run. 20-30 mph winds. Wouldn't have been fun.

So yea, just stuck to plyo. Nothing special, lots of jumping around.

Hoping the weather stays nice the next few days so I can get some more runs in. Shoulders and arms tomorrow, along with ab ripper x.

(Round 2) Day 8: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X, Run

Week two has begun. Chest and back, one of the more painful and productive workouts in my opinion.

Diamond pushups are the toughest ones of the day. I've never tracked my pushup numbers but maybe I'll start. Wish I had thought of that prior to today.

In fact, I never track my numbers during chest and back, pullups included. Their tip for pullups is to go down to a full extension and then pull yourself back up. I've always come up short of doing that, I guess trying to fulfill my desire for a greater number of reps. However, today I gave the full extensions a shot. Generally I can do 16-20 reverse grip chinups. Today? 12.

After that went for a run. Stepped outside and realized it was raining. Only did 1.5 miles in the steady drizzle.

Finished up with abs. Nothing more to say about Tony and the gang other than the fact that they're still so much more ripped than I am.

Plyo(?) tomorrow.

(Round 2) Day 7: Kenpo

As I noted when I started round 2, I'm going to take some liberties with these 90 days. I took another one this weekend, switching kenpo and my off day.

So today, rather than resting, I did kenpo. It's kind of getting stale by now. Perhaps next week I'll switch in Cardio X or a long run.

No running today due to the dreary and rainy weather.

Round 2, Week 2 starts tomorrow with chest and back. And ab ripper x.

(Round 2) Day 6: Stretch X, Rest

That's right, today was supposed to be Kenpo. What of it?

Took my off day today. No running. No Kenpo. Just a day of eating right, having a baseball catch, and thats.about.it.

Kenpo tomorrow. So far, enjoying round 2.

(Round 2) Day 5: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X, Run

Another busy and productive workout.

Started off with a 2.75 mile run. Probably my best run thus far. Stamina stayed strong for the majority of the run, even through 20mph winds by the water.

Legs and back today. Did all the back workouts and some of the legs. I was pretty drained from the run but did a number of wall sits and some of the lunges.

For the pullups, I decided not to look at what I did last time around. I just went with it til failure to see where I'm at after some time away from this routine (because of recovery week):

14 Reverse grip chin ups
8 Wide grip pullups
10 Close grip overhead pullups
8 Switch grip pullups
13 Reverse grip chin ups
7 Wide grip pullups
8 Close grip overhead pullups (assisted)
8 Switch grip pullups

Looking back some numbers were down but still pretty good throughout. Close grips were the toughest today.

Finished with abs, nothing special.

Kenpo tomorrow and perhaps another run.

(Round 2) Day 4: Yoga, Run

Started off with a run, just under 2.5 miles.

Runs are starting to feel better but I'm still not much of a runner. At all. Hoping to hit 3 miles within the week.

Came back for yoga. Tried something other than p90x's grueling Yoga X. Found a Free OnDemand Yoga video called 'Yoga for Athletes 1' with Ted MacDonald. 28 minutes long and a nice change from what I'd been doing.

The moves weren't that different, but the shorter session was just a lot better. Things I was used to showed up a lot: Crescent Pose, Warrior II, Warrior III, Half Moon, Standing Tree, Child's Pose, Bridge and Wheel.

Favorite part were Yoga Bicycles.

Yoga Bicycles: Lay on your back and pull your knees to your chest. Release your knees and place your elbows out behind your head. As you extend your right leg, bring your right elbow to your left knee. Then switch, bringing in your right leg, extend your left leg and bring your left elbow to your right knee. And switch. And switch. For a while. It's a calm core exercise not unlike some of the moves in ab ripper x.

And yes, they throw in Crane. Or as they like to call it, Crow. I think I'm getting better at it. But then Ted floats into some crazy pose after that, balancing on his hands with his feet out behind him.

Tony, I think Ted might beat you in regard to Yoga.

(Round 2) Day 3: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X, Run

Busy day. Started off with a two mile run, then 40 minutes of lifting, ending with abs.

I think my lower mileage is in part due to having a week+ off from ab ripper. My core doesn't feel as strong. No excuses though, gotta keep it up.

Shoulders and arms weren't bad. Maybe need to invest in some weights (rather than my bands) if I want to put on that muscle on mentioned on Day 1.

Finished with abs. Mason twists weren't fun, but are they ever?

Yoga's (supposed to be) tomorrow. We'll see what I do.

(Round 2) Day 2: Run

It's my plyo and I'll run if I want to.

As noted yesterday, I'm not planning on playing by p90x's rules as strictly this time around.

Yes today was supposed to be plyometrics. What I learned from round 1 was that on cardio-intensive days, a run hurt my chances of getting through the whole routine. Considering I should be training for this 9.3 mile race, I chose running over plyo.

Haven't enjoyed a run lately so today was a leisurely 2 miles. Need to get back into it. Running is going to be a staple of these 90 days:

Boiler Maker: July 11th, 2010
p90x Day 180: July 18th, 2010

So Round Two is about getting in shape for myself and for this race. Nice incentive built into my journey.

Shoulders and arms tomorrow.

(Round 2) Day 1: Chest and Back, Ab Ribber X

So it begins. Round Two. I expect good things.

I think back to 90 days ago when I was laying on my floor, barely doing any pushups, laughing at ab ripper, and thinking (as I started this whole blog) "What the heck am I getting myself into?"

Well this time is going to be different. I know what to expect. I know this can work. I know what I'm getting myself into.

So what do I hope to accomplish for Round Two? Here are my goals:

1.) Put on 5-7 pounds of muscle
2.) Obtain a six-pack
3.) Have true definition in my arms (where they look cut without having to flex)
4.) Run on at least 45 of the 90 days
5.) Be under 8% body fat

3 months from now I'll look back on these five goals and see how I did.

Back to the routine. Didn't keep track of pullups. It's been a while since I did some of these so my numbers probably weren't great. I'll get back to writing down my results on Friday.

Everything else was pretty standard. The final five weeks of this program (what I just finished) were 4 alternating weeks and then a recovery week. Now I'm back to one week of workouts, repeated 3 times over the next 3 weeks.

Finished up with abs. Those were welcomed back with a grimace. Really want to get my mid-section in shape. I think I lost enough fat the first time through that I can show some real abs within 30-45 days.

Plyo tomorrow, perhaps a run.

Day 90: Stretch X, Rest

Day 90. Finito.

That was really a fast 90 days. Time for my summary based off of self-imposed questions:

Was p90x all that it's hyped up to be?

If you stick to it, you're going to see results. For the first 50-60 days I was really into the diet. I didn't follow their plan bite for bite. I did my own nutrition plan, and during the prime of my 90 day experience, I was eating 5-6 meals a day, getting a ton of protein and very few grams of fat. Over time it got tough to keep up day in and day out. But I'd say p90x was definitely worth it.

Did you see good results?

I saw what I expected. I put on muscle, but didn't bulk up. The best thing was that I cut a good amount of fat. I didn't take body fat percentages before and after, but I'm down to below 11%. I overall just feel better. Eating right by cutting out unnecessary fatty foods, and sticking to a daily workout program, realized improved everything about me.

What's next?

Time for round two. Going through this whole process again. I saw decent enough results that I think a second time through could do some great things for me. I'm starting off with a lot less fat so hopefully my body quickly adds muscle while still trimming fat around my waistline.

Also, I didn't look at this program as a chore. It became part of my life, a real routine, which is why I'm even looking forward to doing p90x again. I thought about joining a gym but there's no way I'd go more than 3-4 times a week. This is every day for 90 days. Now, that's not to say that I'm going to be on p90x forever. Or even past round two. It's going to be about maintaining, eventually. But I'm still in an uphill battle with my body so I'm not looking to stay put, I'm looking to get more fit.

Anything different planned for round two?

I'm looking to workout every day, but I'm not sure if I'll stick to p90x's exact schedule. I might do Cardio X in lieu of plyo, or just run instead of yoga. Things like that. So if you're doing p90x along side of me, and you see that your Day 27 is different from my Day 27, it's because I'm adding my own touch to it.

Now, time for the final photos. Yes I have ridiculous tan lines on my arms (from golf):





Round two starts tomorrow.

Day 89: Yoga

One more day.

A touch of yoga today. Seemed more like stretching.

Big off day tomorrow, MY LAST DAY. Wow. Much, much more to say then.

Day 88: Core Synergistics

Luckily there's a 3 week hiatus from this DVD after today.

Prison cell pushups are miserable. I'd rather be in solitary confinement than be forced to do these on a daily basis.

Final day of any type of muscle training. Phew. Yoga, then an off day, then I do it all over again.

Day 87: Stretch X

Off day.

I wish I had more to say about my off days. Diet?

Sure, diet.

I feel as if over the past couple weeks my 'diet', or better yet my self-imposed-nutrition-plan, has slipped a little bit. Taken more liberties here and there, not eating my 5-6 meals a day.

I'm going to let these next few days be what they are, then when I start up my second round I'm going to really get back into it.

With day 90 will come an overview of what I thought of the program and what I'm expecting from round 2. And crazy enough, that's just 4 days away.

Cheers.

Day 86: Kenpo

Nothing new on this front. Kind of bored of this DVD, but it shows its ugly head every week of this program. Great.

Off day tomorrow. We'll see what I do with my time.

Currently working on touch-ups to the look of the blog for when day 91 (wow) rolls around. Nothing special.

And to answer the question from yesterday, yes I plan on keeping the blog going during round two. Kept me motivated for this first round, so why not do it again?

Day 85: Core Synergistics

Ow. I seem to always be painfully reminded just how, yup, painful this DVD can be. Especially because it only makes an appearance during recovery week.

I think this might be a good workout to use in lieu of plyo or yoga when I need a change. Maybe even instead of Kenpo.

I'll go into detail about what my second round is going to entail when the time comes. Still trying to figure out why I'm going to put myself through this program again. But it's such a great routine so why stop now?

Nope, no running today. Sshhh.

Kenpo tomorrow.

Day 84: Yoga

Yoooga. Some of it at least. Really need to find something else to use for my second round through this.

Running tomorrow. This time I'm keeping to that. Aiming for 2.5 to 3 miles. Newest goal is to reach 4 mile runs by the end of the month. Just under 3 weeks to accomplish that. Seems doable.

Core synergistics tomorrow. I forgot about this routine. Not fun.

Day 83: Stretch X, Rest

Day off.

Hoping to stay in the swing of things this coming week in preparation for round two.

Some yoga tomorrow.

Day 82: Kenpo

No more predicting when I'm going to run. Cause I've decided how I feel one day can drastically change the next.

Yup, no run today.

Kenpo instead. Nothing special. In fact, really nothing to report.

Off day tomorrow then the final week of p90x (for round 1).

Day 81: Legs and Back, Run

I've felt a bit sluggish lately. Not sure why. Just haven't been as motivated to run or workout. But I did nonetheless.

Couple miles running. The heat broke which is nice. Followed up with legs and back. Numbers were a bit down for pullups, maybe because I did it off the bands earlier this week:

16 Reverse grip chin ups
7 Wide grip pullups
10 Close grip overhead pullups
8 Switch grip pullups
13 Reverse grip chin ups
6 Wide grip pullups
9 Close grip overhead pullups
6 Switch grip pullups

Finished with my final ab ripper x of this first shot at p90x. I won't miss Tony next week during mason twists.

Muscle building is over. Recovery week starts Monday as my final week.

Kenpo tomorrow. Perhaps a longer run. Perhaps.

Day 80: Yoga

Alright this weather's starting to get to me.

No running today. Way too hot. Perhaps tomorrow I'll aim for those 3 miles.

Today was just some yoga. Pretty relaxing. I decided that for round two I'm not going to be as strict in following the days. Plyo and Yoga might be substituted by longer runs.

Legs and back tomorrow.

Day 79: Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X

Really tired today. Probably a mix of running recently and the heat. No mood to run.

Worked with the bands today entired. Back exercises included. Nothing much to report.

Ended with abs. One more time of ab ripper x during this round.

Going to try to run tomorrow. Goal is 3 miles but I expect with 80 degrees planned for my neck of the woods, to come up a bit short. But that's why we set goals, ey?

Day 78: Plyometrics, Run

Exhausted. And starting to hate Plyo all over again.

Ran first. Figured I'd rather be burnt out for something I'm used to than something fairly new to me.

Did 2.5 miles on this hot, hot day.

Did some plyo after but I was pretty drained. Plyo is frustrating stuff. I think during round 2 I'm going to substitute Cardio X or even just a long run for plyo on days that I don't want to be working out for 2 hours.

Abs hurt today. But only two more scheduled times of doing ab ripper x.

Back and biceps tomorrow.

Day 77: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X

Worked backwards again today. Run first then workout. Then abs.

Ran just over 2 miles on this perfect day. No excuses, just ran. Hope to get up to 3 miles towards the end of this week.

The nice thing about running before this particular workout was that the muscle building was not leg intensive. Meaning my reps didn't suffer (too much) due to my cardio.

Workout wasn't bad. Today began the final muscle week of p90x. Not awful.

Finished up with abs. Mason twists are killer. Amazing that they still hurt 77 days later.

Plyo tomorrow. I'll probably run first. Not going to be as fun considering it's a whole day of cardio.

Day 76: Stretch X, Rest, Run

I've been keeping constant with titling Sundays as 'stretch x, rest, run', but today was anything from rest.

Ridiculous weather calls for me getting my arse outside.

Took a short run, just over a mile. Tried out my new running shoes. It's like running on air, very big difference. My old shoes were very worn down, wearing them felt like running on the asphalt. These have some nice bounce to them.

Really hot out, after having an hour long baseball catch, so a 1.25 miles run seemed suffice. Weather's supposed to hold up this week so I hope to get my total up to 20 miles by next Sunday.

Last week of muscle building for this round of p90x. Then recovery week. Then the final pictures.

Day 75: Kenpo

For as gorgeous as the weather is, how relaxing my day was, and for how pumped I have been about running, today was a low in my working out.

I didn't run. The most productive thing I did for my cardio routine was buy new running shoes which I'll put to use tomorrow.

I did an abridged version of kenpo off the book. I can really speed through a lot of it without Tony yapping away.

How many p90x bloggers do you think rip into Tony? Rather, how many don't?

Off day tomorrow during which I vow to run if the weather stays this nice.

Day 74: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

Did the back part today actually. After a morning of 5 hours on the golf course my legs needed a break. Back's going to be very sore tomorrow.

15 Reverse grip chin ups
8 Wide grip pullups
12 Close grip overhead pullups
8 Switch grip pullups
16 Reverse grip chin ups
6 Wide grip pullups
10 Close grip overhead pullups
8 Switch grip pullups

No assisted pullups today. Did as much as I could on my own.

Finished with abs, nothing too remarkable.

Kenpo tomorrow.

Day 73: Yoga, Run

Decided to run first today and use yoga as a cool down.

The past few runs I've been pretty beat because I did them after working out. Especially yesterday when I did it after a big muscle building day.

Well today's run wasn't great. 2.25 miles again. Beautiful weather, wasn't tired, but my abs felt really strained. Not sure if that's attributed to ab ripper x yesterday, or this new running routine. But they really hurt throughout today's adventure.

Cooled down with some yoga. Just the parts I like. And can manage.

Took some photos today to compare to day 60, just for the heck of it. I think there's a noticeable difference even after just a couple weeks.

On March 2nd, Day 44, I noted how crazy it was that it was March already. Well holy cow it's April already. And apparently I can't count:

"The next time the month changes, I'll be on Day 74 and just a couple weeks from the end."

Yes I'm just 2+ weeks away from being finished, but it's Day 73. Oops.

One final note: My friend mentioned a race that I should run with him in July. Up in Utica, NY called the Boilermaker. It's a 15k (9.3 mile) race that ends at a brewery. If my running continues I'm going to set that as my goal. Need to quadruple my mileage output within the next 3 months.