P90X Hybrid Day 26: Shoulders/Arms/Ab Ripper X

It was a struggle to get myself to the gym today. My energy level has been a little low the last few days. Pretty sure it has more to do with lousy sleep and long work days as opposed to my workouts. It sucks when life gets in the way of your workouts!

Anyways, I took some NO Xplode and it gave me the kick in the butt that was needed and my Shoulders and Arms workout went very well today. My arms are sore right now so that must mean it was a solid workout. After ARX I did some hanging leg raises and windshield wipers to add to the pain. Damn windshield wipers are just brutal.

Tomorrow is a cardio day and I might go swim some laps. I have a late afternoon appointment on the other side of town and probably won't be home until 7pm. The pool is available for open swim after 7:30 so that might workout well. I really need to swim more but I have become a little obsessed with improving my running and with the weather cooling off (probably just jinxed us) outdoor running is available to me again. We will see how it goes ...

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 22: Chest/Back/ARX + 5 Mile Run

Okay so it is Saturday which means another double workout day! This fitness lifestyle is just killing other aspects of my life. My yard looks like crap, I have a ton of chores to do around the house, we never go out anymore, I barely watch TV, the laundry pile keeps getting higher, and I have never felt better!!!

Today is the beginning of Week 4 for this edition of P90x. All of you P90X enthusiasts know this as the recovery week. Well, not for me! We woke up early this morning and did a 5 mile run in the neighborhood. My wife Annie is training to run a 1/2 Mary and Saturday is her schedule long run. According to the program she is following the pace is supposed to be "conversational". So, I have been doing this run with her and she has been pacing me. This morning was awesome because we are having what the weather people here in Houston call a cold front. Yes, if you look on weather.com is will still say our temperature is 94 degrees, but the humidity is drastically reduced. And for us Houstonians in August that is some much welcomed relief!

Anyways, we did our conversational 5 miles at 54:54. A pace of a little under 11 min/mile. My average HR was 148 BPM and my Garmin said I burned 672 calories. This was a nice base run that kept me in the aerobic zone for basically the entire distance. I have never been a long distance runner and was unsure about this "training in the aerobic zone" thing, but I am now a believer because my running has improved drastically over the last 6 months of this type of conditioning.

After the run we had some breakfast and relaxed for awhile and then I went to the gym for Chest, Back, & Ab Ripper X. I love going to my crappy gym on Saturdays in the early afternoon because I practically have it all to myself. I don't mind when a crowd is there but it makes it easier when I am the only one using the dumbbells and lat pull down machine. By the 2nd time through Chest & Back my body was feeling some fatigue. When I got to the wide push-ups again, which I am doing with dumbbells on a flat bench, it was hard to initially get the weights up to my chest. And my arms were shaking some as I struggled to heave the 40lb DBs in the air - it felt awesome.

Ab Ripper X was a good time today as well. My intensity was good (thanks again NO Xplode) but my results we a notch below good. I made it through but struggled more than usual. I ditched using the medicine ball for the Mason Twists because I was too darn tired to walk to the other side of the gym to pick it up! That is usually a sign of a good workout!

I came home and slammed some Muscle Milk (my new recover drink - 22G Protein) and am now going to take a nap on the couch until dinner. Guess the house chores can wait until tomorrow, again!

Tomorrow morning I plan on getting up for a nice bike ride on the Q-Roo. I might just stay in the neighborhood since traffic is so light on Sunday mornings but if I am real motivated I might just make the 20 minute drive to Huffman.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 19: Legs/Back and Ab Ripper X

Very exciting! Just got home from the gym and what is on the TV? The 1986 classic "The Delta Force" starring the always awesome Chuck Norris!

Why is that exciting? Well, for one it is just a great movie about an American Special Forces Team kicking some terrorist butt. Back in the day when our country wasn't run by a bunch of lefty progressive whiners! But it is also awesome because during my workout today I felt like Chuck Norris, baby!

That is right, when I was doing push-ups I didn't push myself up I pushed the earth down!

I love the Chuck Norris jokes - always crack me up!

Today was my favorite P90X workout Legs & Back and I absolutely slammed it. As many of you P90X vets have point out, once you get used to the P90X videos you become impatient with all Tony's talking and just want to move it along. Well, I am a member of that group but have found a way to make it work in my favor - Do more reps! Especially on the leg exercises. What I do is just keep going when he stops and starts talking about the next move. I am adding 5-10 reps on most of the moves and the results have been glorious!

I also had a ton of energy left (thank you NO Xplode) for ARX and added a whole bunch of reps for this too. For the Mason Twists I did 50 reps with a 6 lb medicine ball. Rested for about 30 seconds and did another 50 reps with the medicine ball. Just killed my core! No windshield wipers though, I didn't want to embarrass myself because the Masons destroyed me!

Alright, I am out. Gonna go watch Chuck Norris shoot missiles from the back of a dirt bike at terrorists -- Good Times!

Tomorrow is a Running Day, 5 Miles, 9 minute miles!

Thanks for Reading and See ya when I see ya!

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 17: Shoulders/Arms + Ab Ripper X

An overall uneventful Monday!

Went to the gym this evening to get in my P90X Shoulder & Arms workout. I was a little sluggish so it was two scoops of NO Xplode to get the juices flowing. As usual the NO Xplode did it's job.

On a scale of 1-10 today's workout probably was an 8.5. Not the best but pretty close. Ab Ripper X really did a number on me. This will never be easy.

Not too sure about tomorrow. I'd really like to Bike but the forecast is calling for rain on and off all day long. I wanted to go in the morning but I have to leave early so that isn't going to happen. If it is raining I will probably go run on the Treadmill and beat on my legs again - which are still pretty sore today!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 12: Legs & Back + ARX

I got kicked out of the gym tonight! I'd like to think it is because I am so hardcore that I just wore out all the gym employees until they had no choice but to close and go home. But the real truth is that I just got there very late because my work day was extremely long AND my gym sucks because they close at 10PM.

When I left the house this morning I got gas down the road and I reset the trip meter to zero. As I was pulling into my street this evening I looked down at the trip meter and it said 284 miles. That is a heck of a lot of driving considering I was in Houston metro all day!

I ate dinner before the gym because someone was supposed to come and buy my old road bike. Well, they never showed and I ended up not getting to the gym until 8:30.

The good news is that I had another excellent P90X workout and am feeling stronger than ever. The amazing thing to me right now is that I just completed only the 2nd week and I am looking absolutely ripped. The difference from Day 1 to now is amazing. I weighted 162 pounds this morning - a 10 pound gain from Day 1! And that weight is all in my chest, back, arms and legs. I have not increased my calories at all but am gaining solid muscle all over my body. I am sure a lot of it is from my supplements (Cell Mass and Creatine) and a lot is from the fact that I have cut cardio from 6 days a week to 3 days a week.

Now this weight gain leads me to wonder: Will my cardio conditioning be good enough for my next Triathlon on October 18th? Most runners and triathletes are pretty skinny. Lean, but skinny. I was skinny two weeks ago. Not so much today. So I am sort of at this crossroads right now (and I know my buddy Boomer is going through the same thing). I want to do Triathlons and Run in a 10K and 1/2 Marathon in the near future but I like the way my body looks when I am doing P90X and weight training. Such conundrums!

It is almost laughable that a year ago I was worried about blood pressure, cholesterol, and my overall fatness and today I am worried about being too skinny or too muscular! I need to shut-up now because I am annoying myself!

Tomorrow is Day 13 or in your P90X programs: Kenpo X. As per my hybrid plan I will be running instead and plan on doing 5 miles at a moderate pace.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 10: Shoulders & Arms + ARX

I had another long day out on the road but was able to have solid nutrition day. Started off with a Whey Protein Shake with banana and a whole wheat bagel with some organic peanut butter. One thing that is a little annoying is that my supplements need to be taken on an empty stomach and it is not recommended to eat for a half hour afterwards. So, I have been waking up early to take the supps and then I check emails and take care of the dogs before I eat. After breakfast I packed a couple of protein bars and my creatine and nitix into a cooler and hit the road. I had a protein bar for each snack and a 12-inch turkey on whole wheat from Subway for lunch! I just finished off a late dinner of grilled chicken breast, long grain rice, and carrots and broccoli.

I was not able to get to the gym until 7pm and to give myself an added boost I took some NO-Xplode. And it worked wonderfully! I was able to hit the Shoulders & Arms workout with a great deal of intensity and felt completely exhausted afterwards. My left shoulder was feeling a little tender but not at all limiting. It did not prevent me from holding back on a single exercise. I even busted through the straight arm extensions in the bonus round!

I was feeling beat but sucked it up and refocused on Ab Ripper X. It was not my most intense ARX workout but it was still a pretty good one. I even had a little left over to do two sets of five Windshield Wipers. It hurt to walk down the steps to the locker room after those suckers!

Tomorrow is an exciting day! Not because I get to do cardio, but because I am getting properly fit to my new Tri Bike and I get to bring it home. The LBS (Local Bike Shop) is even going to take me out to the parking lot and practice clipping in and out of the pedals ... should be fun! Depending on the time I get home it will either be a Cycle day or if dark I will got hit the treadmill.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

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

Triathlon Training Day 59 & 60: Rest + ARX and Strength Training

The last couple of days have been very frustrating. I had a filling that cracked (tooth #3) and I have been in some pretty bad pain. My mouth has swelled up and any liquid that touches it is really painful. Yesterday I was not able to go to the gym. I was taking pain killers and was tired and groggy from the pills. Also, I weighed myself today because I haven't been able to eat solid food and was down to 155 lbs! Today I was able to get to a dentist and he fixed my filling. My mouth is still pretty tender and I might still need a root canal but we are going to see how this works out before I go that route!

Today I decided I wanted to go get a swim in and work on my Total Immersion form. When I got to the pool lessons were still going on so I did an Ab Ripper X set and then did a bunch of lat pull downs and dumbbell presses on the bench. Real nice chest and back workout! Also, during ARX I used a 10 lb medicine ball for the Mason's twists -- awesome!

After the strength workout I went to the pool and began to realize something almost immediately -- Do not go swimming after receiving dental work! I did one lap and the upper right side of my mouth was killing me. I don't know if it was the pressure from the water or just the water hitting my teeth but it was painful. I am talking made me woozy type of pain. So, I had to stop swimming. I took my time getting dressed and am now at home. I feel better now but have decided to let this sucker heal up until I swim again!

I'd really like to try and get a bike ride in tomorrow evening. The temperature has been close to 100 degrees here the last few days and it looks like tomorrow is supposed to be the same. I have rode the spinning bike at the gym but it just isn't even close to actually riding. If it is still unbearably hot again tomorrow evening then I will probably just run on the treadmill. We have rented a few bikes for our upcoming vacation so I'll at least be able ride a little next week!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 42: 4 mile run

Today was my best day running in quite some time. I woke up and had a Whey Protein Shake and then waited about an hour to go run. For some reason I just felt wonderful today. Maybe it was because yesterday was a rest day and my body had some extra time to recover.

It was weird how my time went today. Mile 1 was done in 9:32 - not even near my fastest time! Mile two was done in 8:30, three was done in 8:25, and four was completed in 8:21. Usually, this progression is the exact opposite. My first mile is usually my fastest and I get progressively slower from there on! Part of the reason this happened today was that I ignored my HRM. It was still one of the 4 read-outs on my Garmin. Along with pace, distance, and calories, but I instead just ran on how I felt and not just in the aerobic zone. The weird thing is you would think by being at a higher heart rate for the majority of the run that I would be more uncomfortable. Well, that was not the case. Even after four miles I felt great and my HR was in the high 160's for most of the run?

Maybe it was a combination of the rest day and all the other aerobic training. Who knows, but I hope I feel this way on Race day.

I was going to go for a cycle in the afternoon but instead I did yard work. Annie is having a baby shower for a friend at our house tomorrow and 60 people are expected. That means I had to get the yard in shape. I worked in the front yard for close to 4 hours and I am exhausted. The Texas sun was sitting high and the temperature was in the low 90's. The yard work was probably the most calories I burned all week!

I haven't decided what to do tomorrow yet. Since the baby shower is going on for most of the afternoon I'd like to either swim or cycle in the morning. I might be playing golf with a buddy during the shower and if that is the case I will probably cycle since the swimming exhausted my arms and shoulders which would be a problem for golfing! And riding in the neighborhood on Sundays is usually nice because not much traffic is around. I am definitely doing ARX.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 39: 1 Mile Swim

Did the 1-mile swim today. That is 71 laps of 25 yards each. That is a lot of swimming.

I am quite tired right now. Especially my upper body. Good news is my legs feel fresh and that is great news for my Tri.

Today I focused on my strokes per each lap and breathing. I would try and take a breath every 3 strokes and get some sort of rhythm going. I am going to have to work on this big time. I'd be moving right a long swimming downhill - 1-2-3-4 ...d'oh .... forgot to breath and then I'd have to take a longer one and screw up my rhythm. Practice will hopefully make perfect. I also was able to average about 16 strokes per lap. Quite an improvement from my 25-26 average on day one!

Also got in an Ab Ripper X session before the swim. I used a medicine ball (5lbs) again on the Mason Twists and it is an incredible burn like that! Wish I would have been doing that since day 1.

Tomorrow is going to be a Back & Bicep day and if I have time I might do some Yoga as well.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 33: 1250 Yard Swim + Ab Ripper X

Whew ... I am TIRED right now! Just got back from doing 50 laps at the pool. This was by far my best day swimming to date. I planned on doing 40 laps but just kept on going after I hit that number. If I wasn't so hungry I probably could have done 60 or more. For some reason my Total Immersion technique just clicked today. I took one, 1 minute break after lap 20 and did some deep yoga breathes but that was it for the day as far as rests went! I never thought that I would be ready for the swim portion of the Triathlon this quickly. I believed that the swimming was going to be the most difficult part and it probably would have been if Boomer would not have recommended the book, "Total Immersion". This book has made the swimming so enjoyable - thanks Boomer!

I also did Ab Ripper X at the gym today. I really turned up the intensity with ARX today and got a great burn. I lost count but I am guess I was around 450 total reps.

One quick story about an annoying lady today: I was in the back of the gym on a yoga mat doing the ARX. During the Mason Twists I decided to use a small medicine ball for added resistance (highly recommended!). So I am sitting there with my legs up just grunting away and this woman, 45ish, walks over and just stands in front of me and is staring like she really wants to get my attention. Well, I have my head down and I am on about rep 10 or so. She is beginning to annoy me so I look up at her (first mistake) without stopping and she says, "What ya doing?" Being that I am sort of an asshole I do not respond. She does not take the hint and then says, "Boy that looks hard!". Now at this point I am at about rep 40 and really want to stop but if I do I may be forced to have a conversation so I continue. She finally realizes that I am not in a talkative mood and says, "cya" and leaves. Now I could have stopped and talked but I was at the end and really doing well and just wanted to get my work in. So, the point I am trying to get across here is if you see someone working out wait until they are finished to have a conversation - this is why I tried to avoid the gym at all costs.

Cycle in the morning!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 23: Swimming & Ab Ripper X

I am officially at the 12 week point until my Triathlon and I am feeling really good about my training. When I decided that I was going to do a Triathlon I set two goals for myself: #1 - Just Finish the Race; and #2 - When I am at the starting line do not have the thought that I should have trained more! I figure if I make sure #2 happens than #1 will take care of itself!

This afternoon I went to the gym and decided to push it pretty hard in the pool. First I went to the aerobic area and did Ab Ripper X. I did 40 reps on every move except Fifers, Oblique Raises, and Heels to the Heavens - only the standard 25 on these! I was pretty sweaty after that and then went to the pool.

Now that I am getting better at my freestyle technique the next step is to work on adding some speed! So I started out and swam 10 laps (250 yds) slow to just warm up. After that I decided to use the lap clock and time myself for a hard 10 laps. When I hit the final wall I was at 5 minutes and 15 seconds. I was very pleased with this time. The Triathlon I am competing in has the swim portion measured at 5-- yards. If I can do this in around 10-11 minutes I would be thrilled!

After I sprinted the 10 laps I stayed and worked on my form and did the Total Immersion Drills. I probably did a total of 40 laps today! I am really enjoying swimming.

Tomorrow morning I am getting up early and am going to do my 3.1 Mile Run.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 16: Ab Ripper X + Swim Drills and Laps

Started out this morning with my normal whey protein shake. I have been feeling a little parched the last couple of days so I brought 2 gallons of water with me in the car. It is amazing how drinking tons of water throughout the day makes you feel very good! I had a Balance Bar for a snack and then went to lunch with a customer. We went to a pasta place and I was able to get whole wheat penne - I wish more restaurants offered healthy selections like this! I had two handfuls of almonds for an afternoon snack and had a whole wheat turkey sub for dinner. My carb intake today was higher than usual but I needed some extra energy since I was going swimming.

After work I went to the gym and got a good stretch in and then jumped into Ab Ripper X. I started a little sluggish and had to refocus before I jumped into the Fifer Scissors. After that I was able to do extra reps on everything but the oblique raises - sometimes these just shred me up!

Then I jumped in the pool and did 10 slow laps to warm up. After that I worked on my Total Immersion Drills. I am now on Drills 7 & 8 (after I finish I will recap all of the drills) and am starting to feel comfortable in the water. On Friday I felt like I took a step backwards swimming but today I took a huge leap forward! For some reason everything I have been practicing just clicked for me? I practiced my drills for about 30 minutes and did about another 15 laps while doing them. After feeling pretty good about my practice I finished up strong by doing another 10 laps. The best part about today's swim was that my legs felt great after the workout. Which is a very good thing since swimming is the first part of the triathlon!

Tomorrow is a cycle day - going to try and get in at least 15 miles.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Day 19: Legs/Back/Abs

Great workout today!

I really enjoy this DVD. It is not the hardest to get through but it REALLY works the heck out of your legs, arms and back. I am not as sweaty as I am after Plyo but my legs still feel it walking up and down the stairs right now. I did more reps than ever on the pull-ups today. It is amazing how far I have come on the pull-up bar compared to 19 days ago. I have more than doubled my reps! I absolutely love the burn on the wide grip pull-ups.

I did a decent job on ABX again today. The fifer scissors killed me as usual ... I was able to only hold for about 15 reps before I needed a couple seconds rest. Jumped right back in and finished out with Tony but it ripped me up good. The "Heels to the Heavens" was also extremely hard for me today as well. After I finished up the "Mason Twists" I crashed on the floor for about 5 minutes and just breathed. Great workout!

Same old, same old on the diet today! Added some whole wheat rice to my chicken and asperagus dinner tonight to try and add a few more carbs (38G) into the program. Got about 3000 calories in today. A little on the high side but my body needed them all and allowed me to really Bring It!

Tomorrow is the awesome Kenpo X.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Day 17: Arms/Shoulders/Abs

Greetings from Houston!

Started the day off with a Whey Protein Shake with milk and a banana. I left the house about 8am and realized that I left my cooler full of protein bars and lunch in the fridge at home - duh!

So, about 10 am I found a grocery store and picked up a couple of protein bars (20g), some bottled water, Turkey Jerky and Low fat cheese sticks. I ate a protein bar. I then had a lunch at a Doctors office. The staff wanted subs so I passed on them and ended up stopping at a Deli having a Turkey and Ham Chef Salad with Lite Ranch Dressing. It was pretty good. I had a couple of pieces of Turkey Jerky and a low fat cheese stick for the midday snack.

After work I did the Arms and Shoulders workout and I was able to Bring It hard again today! My shoulders are sore right now (a good sore). The hardest part of this workout for me is the first exercise in the bonus round - straight arm raises - they absolutely kill me. I talked to Mike today and he said the same thing. They are brutal! According to the program I will not do this DVD again until week 9. I plan on using the Black Resistance Bands then because I am doing too many reps with the Green -- check out my P90X Workout Tracker on the right to see -->

ABX was its usual killer self again today. I even did pretty well on the Fifier Scissors. I had to pause a few times but I made it through about 20 reps. I have nightmares about Fifer Scissors.
Seventeen days ago I dreaded ABX, now I look forward to the three days a week that it is in the workouts!

I ended the day with baked chicken breasts, asparagus, and a little brown rice.

Tomorrow is the hour and a half Yoga X workout. My least favorite DVD but I still intend to Bring It.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Day 3: Arms/Shoulders/Abs

I was sore today people!!

The pain in my quads made it hard to sit, little bit of grunting getting in and out of my car today. That being said, I feel awesome otherwise. I have more energy than I have had in a long time and I am sleeping like a champ. I have never been a sound sleeper and I usually wake to the slightest noise but since I started this diet and workout I have been sleeping great. Maybe just a coincidence, maybe not?

Started the morning with a protein shake mixed with skim milk, banana and a watermelon slice - it was excellent. Had a protein bar for my mid-morning snack and a chef salad with turkey, ham, cheese and fat-free ranch for lunch. My midday snack was 1 oz of mozzarella cheese stick and the recovery drink. BTW - the P90X Recovery Drink tastes great.

Today's workout was intense as usual. It was paced very quick and as usual I was soaked at the end. I used the Green resistance bands (I think they are 50 lbs) for all of the arm and shoulder exercises, except the straight arm flys, used the red (30lbs). The burn was good and I hit most of my rep goals. I will look forward to doing this again next week, unlike Plyometrics which almost killed me.

Then I rolled right into AB RIPPER X. It is brutal. I absolutely love it. I did much better this time than during Day 1. Still felt like I was going to vomit a few times.

So, going to make the Beef and broccoli Stir Fry from the Nutrition Guide for dinner. It looks good.

Tomorrow is Yoga. Not sure how I feel about this.

On a more serious note it looks like Hurricane IKE has a real good chance of doing some damage here in the Houston area. The weather sites are saying it will hit late Friday or early Saturday. I was here when Rita came through 3 years ago and it was hard to see so many struggle. So, if anyone is actually reading my daily drivel please keep my family and the entire Gulf Region in your prayers.

Thanks for reading!

Jeff