P90X Phase 2

I finished the Phase 1 with an extra week. My diet has been pretty good, save a few cheats in eating and drinking.

I've lost some fat and am building muscles and becoming more defined. Awesome.

For the recovery week, I just alternated between Core Synergistics and Kenpo X (instead of including yoga and stretch).

I am two days into phase 2. I have not modified my food intake too much, except adding a few carbs.

P90X! No excuses! Bring it!

P90X - Phase 1 Extra Week

Since I have taken a few extra days off here and there and had too many cheat days, I decided to do an extra week of the first phase of P90X. That means that instead of doing week 4, I am doing an extra regular week.

I have seen significant improvements in strength.
For instance:
Standard push ups
25 reps v. 35-40 reps now
Heavy pants
10 reps @ 45lbs/arm v. 8 reps @ 70lbs/arm now.
My bicep and tricep weights have gone up 10 lbs and shoulder weights have gone up 15lbs at the most.

I still have two cardio days and legs + back left for this week.

P90X - Weeks 2 + 3

I've been pretty good at following P90X. Week 2 went well, but I skipped Kenpo X since I was out of the city. I also took an extra day off on Monday and did not follow the diet so well over the weekend.

However, I am almost done with week 3 and am back on track. I can already see some improvements. In pushups, I am able to do 10 more reps than week 1 on some moves. On pullups, I can do a few more pullups. For arms and shoulders, I have been able to increase weight by about 10 pounds since week 1. Not too bad, I think.

P90X - Week 1

I completed the first week of P90X. I decided to restart the program and fully embrace the workout schedule as well as the diet plan.

Though I had been working out and becoming stronger, my schedule was not consistent. I also was not losing weight. The first time I almost completed P90X, I saw great results by sticking closely to the diet.

So far, I have been very good. I have only cheated a few times. I had one drink (with light vodka, eh) at a Yelp event. One night, I had an extra slice of toast. A couple of days, I had an extra serving of fruit since I put in some strawberries in protein shakes. I have also been drinking coffee and continue to chew sugar free gum. That is the extent of my cheating, so I am doing pretty well.

Damn

I have been sick and have not been going to the gym. I need to restart P90X. Bummer.

P90X Days 3 + 4

Wednesday was day three. The Arms + Shoulders workout went well. I cheated a bit on the nutrition plan. Since I had to do laundry, I ate out at the Thai restaurant connected to the laundromat. I had fried tilapia with mango salad and white rice (I forgot to ask for brown rice!). I drank only water, which is good.

Today, I did most of the Kenpo X workout and Ab Ripper X. I am so tired from waking up early. I need to go to bed earlier and get better sleep.

Tonight is the Yelp Snow Ball where different restaurants will serve food samples and beers, so I will likely cheat a little bit.

P90X + Insanity Hybrid

I need to get in shape. Though I have been working out some mornings doing Insanity workouts, I have not kept any type of diet or routine to allow me to succeed. So before I become even more sedentary and before I succumb to the beckoning call of comfort food as we plunge into the heart of winter, I have decided to try P90X again.

P90X gives me the structure that I need: Planned workouts and a nutrition plan.

The first time I tried P90X, I completed about 75% of the 90 days and had great results. I was stronger and in great shape. It worked so well for me that I almost had a six pack, meaning that I lost sufficient fat to be able to see some of my abdominal muscles.

This time around, I will be doing the P90X strength routines and Insanity workouts on cardio days. I'll also be moving the Ab Ripper X workout from strength days to cardio days to balance my routines.

I am allowed an ample amount of calories per day, but mostly protein. I am allowed the following: 9 servings of protein, 4 servings of dairy, 2 servings of fruit, 4 servings of vegetables, 1 serving of fat, 1 serving of carbohydrates, 2 servings of condiments, and 2 double snacks (200 calories each).

I started yesterday with the Chest + Back workout. I woke up at 6:00 am and headed over to the gym at 6:30. I am going to be using the pull up bar this time. The workout was good, except I have to regain the strength I had. I could barely do any pull ups but toward the end, I figured out how to assist my upper body with my legs (no chairs at the gym).

Yesterday, I had three eggs, two protein shakes (with three servings of skim milk), two protein bars, three servings of chicken, and one serving of shrimp. One apple and one banana. One serving of lettuce, one serving of tomatoes, and two servings of carrots. One and a half servings of pasta (cheating, already!) with sauce as my condiment. For my fat, I had two tablespoons of a dipping sauce (fewer calories than I'm allowed). For my snacks, I had a Promax bar (270 calories) and 20 almonds. Another cheat: 1 piece of chocolate. I also had coffee, which I don't think is allowed, but I can't go without it.

This morning, I did the Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit and Ab Ripper X. Both are incredibly tough and I had a hard time getting through them ... I was sweating like mad.

I'm looking forward to settling into the routine of waking up early. It's still difficult getting up at 6, but going to the gym at 6:30 gives me ample time to workout and not have to rush getting ready for work. I have to prepare my lunch, set the coffee maker, separate workout clothes, and other small things like that the night before because I definitely will not have time to do those things in the morning and so I don't make too much noise and wake Brittany and Romeo.

So far, two workouts done and feeling great.