Saturday, August 8, 2009

P90X Hybrid Day 1: Chest & Back + Ab Ripper X

Day one is in the books!

Went to the gym this morning with P90X Chest & Back loaded on my video iPod. I strapped it to a Velcro case around my bicep and turned it upside down so I could see Tony and the kids. I was a little skeptical at first but this ended up being a great way to do Chest & Back, Instead of doing Push-ups and Pull-ups I did dumbbell presses on a flat bench and lat pulldowns. Now the main reasons I am doing P90X this way is because I need to balk up some (need heavier weights than what I have at home) after all my Triathlon training and this is my third round so doing it different should keep me focused and motivated.

The good news is that I was able to replicate every move on the bench or lat machine just like Tony. Except dive bombers and decline push-ups. So I just did them like the Tony. The only decline bench at my gym is for a straight bar. Next time I might just use that instead.

After I finished up 2 laps of the Chest & Back workout I went to the back of the gym and did the ARX video. I had been doing ARX a couple of times a week during my Tri training but by memory as opposed to following along with Tony. Today I followed along and it really kicked my butt. I think when doing it with out the video I tend to speed up my reps and pace and maybe do not get as good a burn. ARX was a struggle for me today but I completed it all and even used an eight pound medicine ball on the Mason Twists. My old nemesis Fifer Scissors came back with a vengeance and darn near made me vomit!

After I finished up ARX I went over to the pullup/squat rack and tried a new Ab exercise that Steve (boxcarvibe) and Boomer have been talking about. Windshield Wipers! Steve found these on youtube and shared with us and the only thing I can say about these are: "ouch, omg ouch, and ouch again". I was able to do five of them and I started to get dizzy. Next time I probably should start as soon as I get upside down. This time I hung upside down like a dumbass for a little bit looking around afraid I was going to fall.

Here is what they look like (mine where not this pretty):



Tomorrow is Day 2. Supposed to bike, going to run. I have decided not to bike until I get my new Quintana Roo. I have nothing but disdain for my current road bike right now and if I blow another tire chances are I will leave the bike where it lays and just walk home. So in order to prevent that inevitable child-like display from myself I am putting my bike up for sale for a bag of peanuts.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

4 comments:

  1. Jeff: You made me laugh with that description of hanging upside down for the wipers! LOL!! I'm ashamed to say it, but I still haven't done these. Now you guys have shamed me into doing them...but do them, I shall.

    Good to hear that the weights and lat machine worked for you. One trick I had to learn was finding the right weight to get 8-10 reps. It took me a week or two to: A. learn which weight to use, and B. have it loaded and ready to go. Sometimes I was scrambling to set the pin in the weight stack and fell behind, but all in all, it was worth it.

    I think its Shoulders and Arms where the fun really kicks in. Using cables for tricep kickbacks and one-arm "throw the bombs" were blasters! My tri's loved those moves!

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  2. Cool... sounds like you got off to a great start! Almost all the moves can be replaced with weights. Btw, when Tony does decline pushups, it is actually incline bench.

    Also, I sometimes use the barbell bench at the gym instead of dumbell benches. I can sometimes get through the routine faster when doing it with Tony and the kids on the video.

    So... windshields wipers. They are fantastic for the core. Yeah, Steve is turning us on to some great routines. Also, try to work in cable pulldown crunches after you get ARX back into the bag.

    Which Quintana Roo model are you considering?

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  3. Steve, Yes it is difficult figuring out what weights to use? I was shooting for 8-10 reps, but sometimes ended up doing 15-20 b/c the weight was too light. I plan on increasing the weight quite a bit as I move through the 90 days. But, as Boomer has mentioned, I can't go too heavy because it is counter-productive to triathlon training. Lean and Fast!

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  4. Boomer ... I am idiot. Your right they would be inclined. My brain failed to make that conversion. ...lol!

    I am probably going with the Tequilo. I like the Seduza too but the added cost didn't really feel worth it to me when I pedaled both around the LBS's lot.

    I have been trying to read everythng possible about Tri bikes and all the review say it is about fit. The QR Tequilo seems to fit good. However, alot of people are big fans of the Cevelo P2. It is only a couple hundred more than the Tequilo and the reviews are outstanding. I am going to check one out on Monday evening downtown. I figure I better try it out before I make a decision.

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