P90X round 3: Day 10 - Shoulders and Arms + Ab Ripper X

So yeah, more issues sleeping last night. I think it was just the long ass nap that had me all screwed up. Anyway, I ended up going to the Bloomsburg fair today and then after I came home I went to work on P90X. 

Shoulders and Arms were difficult today but I did make some massive gains already. I gained 10 pounds on my uptight rows, for instance.

Ab ripper x wore me out today. I've noticed with this workout that some days I'm really on it, and others, well, not so much. I got up to 14 fifer scissors before I could not take any more. Also, I normally smash the Mason twist at the end and do 50 probably more than 75% of the time. This day, I only got to 5 before I was toast. Yikes. A possible explanation for this is that I went really high up on leg climbers and made those as humanly difficult as possible. Oh well, maybe next time I'll have a better showing here.

P90X round 3: Day 9- Plyometrics

Well, so I ended up only getting 3 hours of sleep last night for some odd reason. I had the intentions of doing plyo as soon as I came home, but I laid down for just one minute, and you know the rest. Five hour nap. Yep.

When I did plyo today, it was pretty late (10:30), and I didn't feel the most energetic or greatest. But the show must go on! Keep showing up. And I did.

For starters, I already am skeptical about doing this high intensity cardio with regards to my goals of gaining mass. So, I decided to do the modified moves and don't go super intense during this workout. But add in a lower sense of energy and a late night workout, and I struggled with this workout again. However, I did stay true to my word and do the bonus round this time. And I was left puddling in sweat when the workout was over. 

The big question tonight is how well I'm going to sleep again. I had issues last night, as I just couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. I don't have work tomorrow, but I want to get up fairly early for tomorrow's workout. 

P90X round 3: Day 8 - Chest and Back + Ab Ripper X

"You've just destoryed chest and back"

Dang, this week it was surely the case. I felt like I made huge strides, and the key was not completely going all out in the first round of the workout today. I was able to dig deep and had a bunch of gas in the tank to absolutely destroy weighted pull-ups and normal push-ups. I did at least 10 reps of weighted pull-ups on every variation today

Ab Ripper I am starting to see more progress with as well. I actually did 18 fifer scissors before I felt like my stomach was going to explode and had to stop. I also completed and stuck with Tony the rest of this ab-blasting workout.

In terms of eating, I felt like I did very well today. With regards to this week, I want to score a 10 with diet on my own weekly self review. I am still granting myself a little cheat meal, and I'm looking forward to that on Sunday likely.

P90X round 3: Day 7 - Rest

So, as stated before, I opted for rest this week. Honestly, I feel good (with the occasional heavy urge to nap every now and then). I did very well with getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night this week. In hindsight: eating wasn't super clean this week, and it wasn't bad either. There's improvements I can still make with regards to that. However, we can say that I've avoided any nagging issues or "tweaks" after week 1. My energy level was alright, except there was an issue of occasionally having to skip some moves in workouts. Yoga is the perfect example. I kind of came out sluggish on this week to start off. To sum things up this week, I developed a weekly rating scale to gauge how well the week went. 

Round 3 weekly self rating scale:

THE BIG 10

Durability: 10

Diet: 8

Intensity Level: 7

Mental: 8

Strength: 9

Flexibility: 5

Cardiovascular Endurance: 9

Sleep: 10

Core: 8

Completed all workouts for week?: Yes

___________

Overall self score: 84

My thoughts of the score: this seems to be about right. My flexibility is currently my Achilles Heel and it's something I just have to work on. With this in mind now, I will probably at least attempt to do the stretch workout next Sunday I have off. It won't be next Sunday because I'll be partaking in a fantasy hockey draft and also working during the day. 

P90X round 3: Day 6 - Kenpo X

The most enjoyable cardio workout from P90X in my opinion is Kenpo X. And after completing it, it marked the end of week 1 for me. Jab / cross / hook / uppercut combo for the win! I'd really like to see other workouts like this, because the time moves by so quickly and you end up sweating and burning tons of calories.

In terms of eating for the day, I did well to start off, but I trailed off for the finish a bit with some brews and snacks. This is mainly because I went to my friend's 25th birthday house party. I did however, eat pretty clean the rest of the week, and I don't think I did much damage to my gains. Some people like to have a cheat day where they eat whatever they want for the entire day. I am against this, unless you're Michael Phelps and swim like 20 miles a day. I think cheat meals are okay though. Maybe one per week.

I've decided that I don't really need the stretch workout for this Sunday. Plus, I'm working all day pretty much, so I will opt for the day of rest.

P90X round 3: Day 5 - Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X

So today I went back to doing Ab Ripper X after my normal workout (in this case being Legs and Back). Legs and Back was challenging as usual, but I do really enjoy this workout. Today, on pull-ups I added 45 lbs weight added resistance in the first half of the workout. However, I do think that I need to be better with time management for these exercises. I'm noticing a lot of times that I'm rushing to get done or cutting it close with my time. I will need to address this.

As for Ab Ripper, I was noticeably more gassed compared to Wednesday's workout. When I did Ab Ripper X to start off, I noticed how much easier it was to focus on every move. This is probably because I don't have to worry about holding back to start off. I'm fresh in those instances. I write this as I'm on my lunch now, and man, I sure feel like hitting the bed when I get home. Old age?

P90X round 3: Day 4 - Yoga X

Definitely my least favorite video of P90X and I'll you why- I suck at flexibility. If I were a little better with flexibility, I probably wouldn't mind this workout though. I always get rickety during the first half of this video (crescent pose, warrior one, warrior two, warrior sixty-six, etc), and it usually feels like my hamstrings are actually on fire. The very first time I did this video years ago, I ended up aggravated and cursing during the first 45 minutes of this exercise. 

The last 45 minutes of the exercise are enjoyable to me though. The little yoga belly 7 is pretty good. I am going to stick with doing yoga for this round. I thought about switching it out with insanity's cardio recovery, but I'll keep things legit to the P90X Classic workout plan.

For today's workout I struggled greatly right off the bat after about the 15 minute mark. I know it's cause I haven't done stretch / yoga workouts in years, and I just have to get there with my flexibility. I may even consider doing the Sunday stretch videos (before football of course), but we'll see. The judge is out on that.

I recorded my stats for this upcoming round. Here's what we're looking at.

Weight - 169.1 lbs

Left bicep - 14.5"

Right bicep - 14.5"

Left quad - 24"

Right quad - 24"

Left calf - 14.5"

Right calf - 14.5"

Chest - 43"

Waist - 34"

Goals:

I'd love to get my chest bigger and I want to gain muscle mass. If I can get to 175-180 lbs range by the end of this round, I'll feel pretty accomplished, even though I know that weight won't be as important as the actual numbers of body parts measured. Also, I'd like to be able to get back to 15" biceps. I do also want flexibility increased if possible, because I think it will greatly help my golf game (from what I'm hearing at least), and even be able to increase my hockey skating. 

I took some pics to be able to compare from week 1 to the last day. I consider myself pretty fit to begin this round, but I'm very excited to improve.

P90X round 3: Day 3b- Shoulders and Arms + Ab Ripper X

So I worked from 12-9 today, which as we all know is a horrible schedule. Not enough time in the morning to get things done and not enough time in the afternoon. I finished my day 2 plyo in the morning. And then I waited to finish shoulders and arms after work. Now, I did complete ab ripper x just BEFORE work. I have to say, doing it on its own and not directly after the other video seems to be much more effective for me. I would say I completed 90-95% of the workout. The only thing I struggled with were fifer scissors, which is definitely the hardest move in that video. I only got maybe about 10 or 12 and needed to take a break. I did however, finish everything else in the video, even throwing in a few modifications to make the bicycles more difficult. 

I felt fine during the shoulder and arm workout. I love this workout because it is really challenging and my goodness, the pump is epic. One spot of weak point training I'm really going to focus on is development of my triceps and rear deltoids in particular. I do feel pretty good about my arms, and usually when you talk about arms with most guys they'll tell you they want bigger bicep mass, tone, shape, peak, whatever, etc. But it truly is important to not forget about the shoulders and triceps. Your triceps actually make up 2/3 of your arm size, so don't be fooled about just doing endless and endless bicep curls.

Tomorrow, I'm going to do yoga, which I remember struggling a lot with. Flexibility = not likely with "Dem big muscles tho..." I also plan to take measurements tomorrow including weight, waist size, bicep size, etc. And I'll be monitoring weight  every Thursday, although my goal isn't to get obsessed over the weight number. My goals are to gain muscle mass, which I have shown in prior rounds to be possible in P90X. Stay healthy my friends.

P90X round 3: Day 3a- Plyometrics

So as you are now aware, I was unable to do Plyometrics on day 2. I decided that I would push this to day 3 with shoulders and arms + ab ripper x. Was this suicide? Yes, probably. But I just can't leave that workout skipped. My conscience wouldn't let me. And that's the important thing- because like they say in the videos "just keep pushing play", "show up", and all that other mumbo jumbo generic cliche shit. I started out of the gates feeling strong. Now, keep in mind that I don't plan to go super super crazy in my intensity level for this workout. This is mainly because my current goal is to gain mass. I even considered swapping Plyo out with Cardio X, but decided since Laura is enduring through the Plyo, I also would partake in this (crazy, right?). I banged through the first two rounds like cakewalk and than had some issues on the 3rd round where I actually started to gas out a little bit. I particularly like the 4th round best out of all the rounds (starting off with the rock star hops).

Something I like about this workout is that I can literally feel how explosive it is on my thighs. And I feel like I gain some more agility with regards to moves like circle run and the twist combo. This will definitely help me with skating in the winter for hockey, so I see the importance of this workout even with regards to my goals of gaining muscle mass. I also love the bonus round, however, I did not do it this time around because I was planning to not entirely kill myself with 2 P90X workouts in one day. That's hard enough, people. Cut me a little slack, I feel that's a little fair. I will 100% be partaking in the bonus round next week and every week after this. 

P90X round 3: Day 2- Plyometrics?

To start off my day for Day 2, I actually didn't do plyo. Instead, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to golf 18 holes with my buddy Mike Witek. It rained a little bit for two holes, and my score was so-so. I struck a 108, which is high for me. I had opportunity to hit a good score but it came down to me hitting the 3w and hybrids in the fairway very poorly. My chipping and putting was lights out, and I really could've had a great game if it didn't take me 4-5 shots to actually get to the green. The plan was to then go to work from 1-10, and then come home and bang out plyo quick. This was a mistake. I came home and was exhausted from AM golf and work that I just crashed waiting for my coffee to set in to get me a needed boost. Even caffeine was not able to help me. I learned that it is pretty much impossible to try and bang out a quick workout at 10:30-11:00 PM at night. I am disappointed that I did not perform, but I will rebound and try to squeeze into Wednesday's workout. 

P90X round 3: Day 1- Chest and Back

“Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you got a kingdom”

-Jack LaLanne

I'm back ladies and gentlemen! After a very long hiatus, I'm finally back again here for your entertainment. 

What I have been doing in my spare time lately?

1. Work. Yeah, it's true, work will be a great chunk of your time during life. No surprises here.

2. Study. “You mean to tell me that you study and read and all that jazz still, Kurt?” Yep, believe it or not, I still do. I mostly study things like sophisticated art and molecular genetics, but whatever keeps you afloat, right? LOL JK. Although, I do spend a lot of time reading up on nutrition.

3. Golf. This is a heavy hobby I started picking up, and thoroughly enjoy. I'm not the best at it (maybe play like Tiger Woods in his prime currently), but I'll get better.

4. A Fantasy World. Yep, still run the good ol' fantasy football league, and this year we are celebrating 10 years (in other words, I'm old). Also, I have a strong following going for fantasy hockey. I am currently looking for one more “victim” though, so if you are interested in playing, let me know. I would love your donations! (In other words, I'm insinuating that I'm the best there is).

What I Plan to blog:

1. Golfing adventures, videos, etc.

2. Short Stories, novels, poetry, basically all the trade of my crops.

3. And of course, the motherload, another round of P90X!

4. Many more ideas that I'm sure you're all dying to read about (perhaps even literally) (hopefully not literally though). 

The Nitty Gritty

Right now, I currently have 2 completed rounds of P90X under my belt. Why would I possibly do another? Well, it's been about 3 years since I last completed a round of P90X. Mostly, I've been working on my own workout routines, which I'll be sure to eventually share on here. Also, Laura said she would attempt to do P90X with me, which I know she will be eventually surpassing me (since she is very super strong!).

How day 1 went: Well, let's just say that I ass my kicked but part of it was my own doing. "Don't go too crazy out of the box". Oops. I started doing pull-ups right off the bat with 45 lbs weight added to a dip belt. I cranked out about 12 with relative ease, swinging and gliding through the air. I did 30 push-ups in the very beginning. Mistake. I should've taken it easy and kept some energy in the tank for the end. I remember this workout day being a little difficult, but I really wasn't expecting to be dogging it and gassed near the end of the workout. By the middle of the workout, I felt like I was out of energy and even a little bit nauseous. But I stuck with it, and kept in there. Ab ripper x was predictably difficult, as I remember. But I stayed with it, outside of fifer scissors which are just so difficult. I'll get back in there though. It won't be long now.