P90X Round 2 Day 9: Controlled Cardio Confusion

Day 09
Yes, I realize that this workout doesn't read Plyometrics X. I actually decided to experiment with the schedule a little bit today and switched out Plyometrics for a custom Kurt Kuklewicz workout. Oh boy! I know, you're probably wondering what I possibly know about working out and such to make my own workout that is equivalent to Plyometrics X. Well here's my logic. It's pretty simple really. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) obviously is more intense compared to light and moderate cardio. My formula is pretty straightforward:
1. Higher intensity = higher heart rate
2. Higher heart rate = higher calories burned
3. Higher calories burned = more weight loss.

Since 1 = 2 and 2=3, you can basically re-arrange my formula like this if you want.
1 = 3 (or Higher intensity = more weight loss). Sorry to scare you with some algebra! We thought we would never use algebra again, but in reality we use it everyday on simple tasks like figuring workouts out, saving money, calculating money for gas, etc. At least that's the excuse I keep telling myself that I'm not the only nerd who still uses this stuff.

Anyway, since I am trying to gain muscle, weight loss is the obvious opposite of what I want. However, at the same time, I do not want to accumulate fat and completely overlook cardio. See the predicament here? So how is it possible to gain muscle but yet lose fat at the same time, you ask? I don't believe there is such a thing. However, I am going to try my best to contain fat while not losing muscle at the same time. The plan is to do this with light to moderate cardio. I can burn a little fat this way while limiting muscle loss to a bare minimum.

I started out today with a controlled pace mile jog. Only thing is that I added some weight to my jog. I jogged today holding a pair of 5 lb dumbbells to build up some leg strength. I was going to invest in a weighted vest, but I think that could probably ruin my joints in my knees. The dumbbells flow with my jogging motion, so I don't think they would hurt as much. To finish the last 1/2 of a mile or so, I ran uphill with the dumbbells. Let me tell you, this is A LOT more difficult than it sounds. My calves were burning within the first 10 seconds of jogging uphill. After I finished the jog, I took a quick breather and then sped things up to a more intense pace and then finally sprinted briefly to finish. I only added about another 1/4 of a mile to the run, so I finished jogging 1.25 miles in about 11 minutes with 5 lb dumbbells.

After the jog, I immediately came inside and rode on a stationary bike for 10 minutes at a moderate level. After hitting 10 minutes, I immediately went to the ground on my back and maxed out traditional crunches. I was able to do 111 crunches without stopping even after all the abuse my core went through running uphill with weight. After the crunches were complete, I quickly hopped on the bike for another 10 minutes at a moderate pace again. After the second stint on the bike, I maxed out cross legged sit-ups. I was able to conquer 61 of those bad boys. Just for kicks, I did 50 reps of the Mason Twist afterward to give the obliques some work. I ended up biking 4.6 miles in those 20 minutes.

I think this was a great workout to sub in for plyometrics today, and I will be doing it in the future again for sure.
The workout is basically broken down into 3 parts:
1. Building leg strength while jogging with dumbbells.
2. The first 10 minutes of biking while focusing on controlling movement with the quads
3. The ab workouts between and the final 10 minutes of biking while focusing on controlling movement with the core (bring your legs up with your core and not your quads basically)

Here's how the diet looked today:

Meal 1:
- 2 whole eggs, 3 egg whites
- cup of oatmeal
- orange
- glass of soy milk

Meal 2:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- carrots
- granny smith apple
- 1 oz dry roasted peanuts

Meal 3:
- protein bar
- protein shake

Meal 4:
- tuna wrap (whole wheat wrap)
- whole grain brown rice (cup)
- cottage cheese

Meal 5:
- multi-grain crackers
- banana
- peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat

Meal 6:
- recovery drink
- protein bar
- glass of V8 low sodium
- celery sticks
- water and unflavored whey

Meal 7:
- chicken breast
- cottage cheese
- two scoops of casein protein

Thanks for reading,
K-Dawg