P90X Round 2 Day 41: Kenpo X (and Core Syn!)

The low/no carb diet is still going strong.

I woke up this morning and made a whey protein shake. When I opened the fridge to grab the fat-free organic milk I saw a package of whole wheat bagels looking right back at me. It was almost like I could hear them saying, "Eat me, I am full of delicious complex carbs!" As much as I wanted to I did not give in and just had the protein shake. After some early morning work I had a protein bar and an Atkins Protein Drink for a snack. I then had to take my Pug Ernie to the groomers and then stopped at the Lowe's to get some sod for the yard.

Lunch for me was a chef salad with turkey, ham, and extra sliced chicken .... I took out the croutons! I then spent about 2 hours in the yard putting down the sod and working on the landscaping. The last few days have been in the 80's here so the yard needs done! After that it was around 3pm so I had another pure protein bar and some carrots for my snack. An hour laster I did the Kenpo workout and went and picked up Ernie. After that I was feeling great and had about an hour to kill. My wife was working late and nothing was on TV so I decided to do another workout before dinner - which was grilled fish and veggies again! So, I did Core Synergistics to complete a nice Saturday double!

Kenpo was pretty easy today. I added extra reps like last week and had a decent calorie burn (330). The bottom line is that I am in excellent shape cardio-wise and kenpo will never be as challenging as it was when I first began. That is part of the reason I decided to do Core Synergistics. I thought about doing Cardio X but I am becoming a little obsessive about my abs so Core Syn got the nod.

As always, Core Syn was a kickass workout. The lung-kickback-curl-press move had me sweating and burning like crazy. Also on the X-squat presses I used 15lb dumbbells and was very winded by the time I got to rep 30! The plank to chatarunga while running move was awesome for me today. I can usually only go down to chatarunga and run 2 times before I crap out but today I went down all 3 times! I love Core Synergistics!

Also, I weighed myself again this morning and am down to 159.4 lbs. Officially a 22 lb weight loss since I started P90X and about a 30 lb loss since last year. My energy level is still excellent, despite the lack of carbs, and it looks to me like I am losing the weight in my lower belly. Which was the purpose of going without carbs. Not sure how much longer I can continue these intense workouts without the energy provided by complex carbs but I am just going to keep going until I Bonk/Crash.

Oh, btw, sort of a disclaimer - this diet I am doing is not what is suggested by the P90X nutrition guide (and I am only on day 6). This is something I am doing on my own for a short period of time. High Protein diets are an excellent way to increase lean muscles and promote weight loss but a healthy mix of carbs and fat is also recommended.

Tomorrow is my Rest/Stretch X day and a Mailbag day!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 40: Legs, Back, and Ab Ripper X

No Bonk yet! Energy is still through the roof!

So the low carb/high protein diet is still going strong. I weighed myself this morning and was down another pound and I am still feeling great. I know the Bonk is going to happen soon but I will keep going until it does!

Sidebar: If you have an Academy Sporting Goods store where you live they have Nike compression shorts for only $12.99 -- marked down from $25 -- good deal, thought I would share!

Today's workout was one of my better ones! Last week when I did Legs & Back I posted that it was a very so-so low energy workout. I was upset with the amount of reps that I did on the 8 pullup exercises, which was only 112, down from 136 from the previous Legs & Back workout. However, today when I hit the pullup bar on the first exercise I did 20 reps. Then I did 20 on the next and again and again. All they way until the last switch grip pullup exercise where I crapped out at 16 reps. The total was 156 reps and I felt great afterwards. I also tore right through the Sneaky Lunges which are always brutal. Just a fun, high-energy workout.

Then came ARX and I killed it today. I added extra reps on crunchy frogs, Fifer Scissors, V-Roll-up, and did 50 Mason Twists!! Now, I was exhausted after the Mason Twists but it was a good exhausted!

Nutrition-wise it was also a very good day. My ratio was right at 75% Protein/5% Carbs/20% fat. Very clean day. Grilled Chicken, Veggies and Fruit. If this is your first time reading my blog this is not the recommended P90x Phase approach, I am trying a little experiment for a few days so don't try this if you are following the P90X nutrition guide. The body has a harder time breaking down protein. This means the more protein I eat the more the body has to work. The more it has to work the more fat that is burned. The more fat that is burned means my weight will decrease. Pretty simple actually just not a long term solution to weight loss, but a decent short-term solution to burn a couple extra pounds of belly fat!! (I hope)

Tomorrow is Kenpo X Day. I might substitute in the P90X PLUS Interval workout again to get a better calorie burn. But I also have a long day of work, chores, and yard work planned so I might be tired and just do Kenpo. We will see how I feel!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 39: Yoga X

Yoga Day!!!

This morning I had a little trouble waking up. Which is different because I am one of those annoying morning people (I know ...feel free to stop reading now!). My wife can't stand me in the morning because she is the exact opposite of the morning person. I have learned to not even talk to her until she has had coffee! But not me -- I am bouncing off walls as soon as I wake up. But ever since I started Cell Mass and Nitrix I have struggled to get going. If that is the only side effect from these supplements that is okay because they are pretty awesome otherwise.

So, after shaking off the sleep I made a Whey Protein shake and as it was blending I jumped on the scale: 160.4 lbs. Still dropping. Jumped in the car for a long day of appointments. In my cooler I packed: Two Protein Bars, one Atkins Protein drink, sliced chicken with one whole wheat bread slice for lunch, some apple slices, and a half gallon of water. Just enough to get me through the day!

Once I made it home I took my pre-workout tablets with some Cell Mass and went upstairs to do Yoga. I turned off my blackberry, turned off the overhead light, gave the dogs kongs with peanut butter, and tried to focus on just doing Yoga for 92 minutes. No distractions, only Yoga. Well, it worked out pretty good. I put my HRM on and ended up burning 325 calories. The truth is I only made it about 89 minutes because I skipped the chant/oman/moan/whatever crap. As hard as I try that just isn't me!

So, overall a very solid day. Got through Yoga. Ate clean, only about 10% carbs. I just finished up with dinner which was grilled chicken breasts and steamed veggies followed by an apple. I am in one of those phases were I am grilling everything. I love my grill. When I first started P90X and saw in the nutrition guide that "Grilled" was an acceptable way to cook I knew this program was for me!

This reminds me, I have been getting a lot of questions about the P90X Nutrition Plan so Sunday's Mailbag is going to be about just that. If you are wondering what to eat tune back in Sunday night!

Tomorrow is Legs & Back!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 38: Back, Biceps, & Ab Ripper X

Today was the Back & Biceps workout and as always it just smashes both your back and biceps! But today what really crushed me was AB RIPPER X!!! By the time I finished up Back & Biceps I was pretty whipped out. The strip down sets at the end had my arms just dangling at my sides barely able to move. So, I went into ARX tired. I paused a little longer than usual, gave myself a pep talk, hit the play button, and Brought It! I knew it was going to be a struggle when I was starting to feel the pain around rep 15 of Crunchy Frogs. Then came my old favorite Fifer Scissors and I told myself that I was going to make it through this no matter what. And I did, barely, I actually gagged a little on about rep 23 -- not fun! For the first time in a few weeks I made it though both oblique raises without a minor pause and it hurt too! I climbed both legs relatively easily and then came the Mason Twists. I have been doing well with this exercise but have been unable to do the bonus 10 reps at the end. Well, I am proud to report that I did it today and my abs are still barking like dogs 2 hours later!!!

My food intake was a little erratic today. I started out the morning good 3 scoops of whey protein and water then had a protein bar for a snack. Then I had a couple of appointments run long and didn't have time to eat lunch so I had another protein bar around 12:30 while driving. Around 3;30 things settled down a little and I stopped at a store and picked up some sushi (protein,protein,protein). So, I basically just swapped lunch and the afternoon snack. No big deal. And for dinner tonight I grilled up some more Tilapia (which I love!) with a whole plate of veggies and added a few more calories and protein with an Atkins Protein Drink.

If you are behind on my posts you are probably thinking, "Damn, that is a lot of protein and not enough carbs?" You would be right. I am intentionally cutting out the carbs for a couple of weeks to drop a few pounds in my belly. It has now been 4 days since I have been on the low carb kick and I have already lost 3lbs (164lbs to 161lbs). As you can see, I am still consuming 2500+ calories per day but just about 10-15% of them are carbs! My energy level is still pretty high but I do expect in 5-7 days (if not sooner) that I will probably BONK! When this happens I will add some carbs back into the diet but until then I think the weight is going to be flying off! I find myself laughing about losing more weight because I am already lighter than I have been since I was a teenager.

Tomorrow is Yoga X and I am actually looking forward to it (If I say that enough maybe I will actually start to believe it (-:).

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 37: Plyometrics

Before I get into today's workout I want to congratulate Jocelyn Davidson (jdena) for earning the selection as a finalist for the Million Dollar Body Game presented by BeachBodies. Joceyln writes the Bring It blog that is listed on the toolbar on the right. She is a fellow P90X warrior like the rest of us and has been an inspiration to a lot of people looking to find health and fitness in their lives. She has a chance to win $250,000 if enough people vote for her so please CLICK HERE, watch here video and vote for her (you'll have to create a username if you haven't already)- she has worked very hard and I believe she deserves it! Good Luck Joc we are pulling for you!

Okay, onto today's workout: Plyometrics! As soon as I finished up with this today. I was mixing up my Cell Mass, dripping with sweat, and I texted my buddy Mike and said, "Plyo is an Ass Kicker!". That is about the only way I can describe it. It is pretty much the perfect workout and it never gets easier. NEVER. I burned 635 calories and I earned everyone single one!

My nutrition was very strong today again as I am cutting out most of the carbs to burn a few more pounds quickly. Breakfast was a Whey Protein Shake with 3 scoops of powder (69G) mixed with Fat-Free Organic Milk. I then had an Atkins Protein drink for my morning snack. Lunch was a chef salad with turkey, ham, and fat-free ranch. I had a balance bar for the afternoon snack - 23G Carbs, I need just a few! Dinner tonight was two 4-oz grilled tilapia fillets with broccoli, carrots, peas, and cauliflower. I have been eating a ton of veggies with my dinner lately. I also had about two gallons of water (with Crystal Light Green Tea packets) -- I always feel great after my workouts when I consume a ton of water during the day.

Time to go watch Obama -- Thank god this isn't a political blog because I'd probably ripoff about 30,000 words tonight on the Stimulus bill alone!

Tomorrow is Glory Muscles day - Back & Biceps!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 36: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, and Ab Ripper X

Welcome to Week 6! Started off this lovely Monday morning with a Protein Shake. And hit the road early again. In the car I had a protein bar and lunch was a chicken sandwich on whole grain that I packed and left in my cooler. My snack during the afternoon was another Protein bar with an Atkins Protein Drink. I got home and did my workout and then dinner was grilled chicken breasts with mixed veggies.

You probably noticed that my carb intake was very low today. My ratio was about 65% Protein and 15% Carbs today. I have decided to up my protein and decrease my crabs for the next few weeks. My weight is sitting at 164 lbs which is an excellent weight for me. BUT, I still have a little belly left. I can feel the firmness of my abs under this one last portion of fat on my body and I really want to get rid of it. So, I figure the best way to do this is burn a few more pounds. If I do this it should help me get rid of this stomach fat. The problem is that I am extremely happy with my weight and my wardrobe is becoming limited so if I burn more weight then I may have nothing left to wear --- And that gets expensive to keep buying new clothes and then I become a hypocrite because I always am telling my wife to quit shopping so much!! But in all seriousness it should be fun to see how much more I lose!

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and ARX is a workout I always look forward to doing and today was no exception! It starts out brutal with the 3-in-1 pushups and never lets up! One of the exercises I used to dread and now love is the Pike Presses. Basically you are in a downward dog position except on your tip toes and you use you push-ups bars. You then lower the crown of your head down to almost the ground in a diving type move and press yourself back up. I used to only be able to do a couple of reps and it destroyed my shoulders. Now I can rip off about 15 reps and my shoulders burn all-so-nice! Just a great exercise. I did pretty well on ARX today also! Usually, I struggle with ARX on C/S/T days but really brought it today. Even did the extra ten Mason Twists!

Tomorrow is Plyo Day!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Mailbag and Other Important Stuff ....

I will start with the other stuff ....

#1) First, My buddy Mike who completed Round One of P90X with me is back BRINGING IT! He has a blog and is keeping a daily journal of his P90X workouts and nutrition plan. Mike always posts a good read and I highly recommend bookmarking his site and checking in to see how his journey is going. Here is his link: Just a Man and His Will to Survive

#2) Next, Carl Daikler, CEO of BeachBodies, stopped by the blog with a
message:

Carl Daikeler said...

Nice work. At least you're staying consistent and that's half the battle!Now, is
it possible you could join us March 7th for a massive online workout, and help
get the word out?I want to get leaders like you to the Beachbody WOWY Gym
(www.wowy.com) to break the record of people working out at the same time,
Saturday March 7th at 11AM ET/8AM PT.It would be great if you can make it and
bring some people with you!

This sounds like it could be fun and I am all for anything that helps with motivation for our workouts! I will plan on logging in March 7th, 11am EST, to do my scheduled Kenpo Workout. The website is http://www.wowy.com/, if anyone who is reading wants to join me we can all meet up in the WOWY lobby area. I will remind everyone when we get closer!

#3) I received this question this morning and it is a very common one and I am sure all of you were asking yourself this same thing at the beginning of your P90X workout ... here is the question:

I am on day 4 of P90x and I am extremely sore. Is this normal?

The short answer to this one is HELL YES it is normal! I can remember back to my first week and I wanted to die from the soreness. I had to hold the wall with my arms so I could sit down. And then once down it hurt too bad to stand up. I would tell people to not make me laugh because it hurt my abs so much. So, yes the soreness is normal. Just keep pushing play and it will soon be gone!

#4) I just watched an Original HBO movie called, "Taking Chance". It starred Kevin Bacon. He was a Marine Colonel escorting the body of a Marine KIA in Iraq to his family. One of the better movies I have seen in quite sometime. It is on HBO for the rest of the month - set your Tivo to find it - you will not be disappointed!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 35: Rest Day/Stretch X

Today is my rest day and since I was feeling tight I decided to do the Stretch X.

I woke up around 6 AM today - not sure why? - and made myself a big protein filled breakfast: 6 egg whites, 4 turkey sausages, and a whey protein shake. It was an awesome way to start the day. I then went outside and did some yard work for about an hour. Then I meet up with a buddy and went to the gun range and fired off 150 rounds from my Glock - great stress relief!

I came home and put in the stretch X DVD and am so glad that I did! It has been awhile since I have done this optional workout and it made me feel awesome. Especially in my ankles, shins, and thighs, which all were very tight.

Tomorrow is Chest, Arms and Triceps and I cannot wait to get started!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 34: Legs, Back, and ARX

Since I screwed up yesterday and did Kenpo instead of Legs and Back, today I did Legs and Back! No harm, no foul!

Nutrition-wise everything went great today. Protein shake in the morning, Balance bars for both snacks with Atkins protein drinks, lunch was a chicken sandwich with apples and carrots, and dinner was lean round steak with broccoli. I also drank about 2 gallons of water!

The workout was so-so today. For some reason I was tired going into the workout? I tried to focus and did very will on the lunges, squats and even sneaky lunges but struggled on the pull-up bar. I just didn't have the burst I normally do on the bar. On the 8 pullup exercises I only was able to do 112 reps (14 per exercise). Two weeks ago I did 136 reps (17 per). The frustrating thing for me is that during the last week of my first round of P90X I did 166 reps (20.75 per). What I can't figure out is that I have increased my weight dramatically with dumbbells of late and I figured this would translate to the pullup bar. Perplexing. I guess sometimes you just do not have the energy and all you can do is push play and do your best. Next Friday I am going to do Legs and Back in the morning and see how my results look!

I struggled with ARX today too. Normally I blow right through the first exercises until I get to Fifer Scissors. Well, today I was pretty winded on reverse bicycles and crunchy frogs. Fifer almost killed me and I had to pause twice. The left side oblique raises were very difficult as well and I had to pause once here. Then the Mason Twists were just awful! I made it to 30 reps and fell over in pain. I picked my self back up and finished off at 40 but it was a struggle!

Today goes to show you that not every workout is awesome and sometimes just getting through is an accomplishment unto itself. It has been awhile since I have struggled like this and am looking forward to the off day tomorrow so I can recharge for Week 6.

Tomorrow is my R & R day and Monday I begin week 6 with Chest, Arms and Triceps!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 33: Kenpo X

Okay, so I screwed up yesterday. It was supposed to be my Legs & Back day but I did Kenpo instead? It wasn't by design I just had a brain fart! During last round of P90X, Kenpo was always on Fridays so I got home from a long day of work yesterday, got changed, went upstairs, and put in Kenpo. I didn't even realize my mistake until I looked at my calendar today!

But, I did have a really good Kenpo workout. I took the advice of Boomer, a fellow P90Xer, and added extra reps and movement to Kenpo. He suggested to keep going when Tony stops to explain moves or demonstrate and so I did this and burned 615 calories.! I was having a hard time getting my heart rate up during previous Kenpo sessions so it was nice to add extra reps and get good results because I enjoy Kenpo.

Yesterday I had a solid nutrition day again. I was right at the 40%/40%/20%, protein/carbs/fat ratios and ended up with around 2500 calories. I was on the road all day so it really makes eating clean easy when I pack a cooler in the car with power pars, lunch and snacks!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 32: Yoga X Cardio X

So today was supposed to be Yoga and for once I wanted to do it. Unfortunately, a long day at work and some typical awful Houston traffic didn't allow me to start my workout until 9pm tonight. Usually this would not be a big deal but I have another early morning scheduled tomorrow so after this post it is bedtime!

The good news is that despite not having my usual optimistic pre-workout vigor, I had a great Cardio X session tonight. The yoga portion was tight, plyo was explosive, and core was powerful. In the 42 minutes it takes to do Cardio I burned 425 calories and got one heck of a sweat going! The steam engines were probably the hardest move for me to complete tonight. I was starting to putter out around 40 reps but found something extra to make it to 50!

My eating was a little off today. I got up around 5:30am and took my Nitrix tablets. These tablets are to be taken on an empty stomach and you need to wait at least a 1/2 hour to eat after taking them. So, I jumped on my laptop and started doing work. Two hours later and still no breakfast, I realized I was going to be late for my first appointment and had to jump in the shower and leave and did not have time for a protein shake and bagel. I grabbed a protein bar on the way and a little later stopped at a Smoothie King and got a 45G Gladiator Protein Smoothie. It was pretty much lunch because it really filled me up. Later on I had a Balance Bar and an Atkins Protein drink. For dinner we had chicken breasts cooked in Sesame Ginger Sauce (nutrition guide suggestion) with multi-grain shells. I had some carrots and apple slices for dessert. I was a little low on my calories today and I think that is part of the reason my energy was a somewhat low at the beginning of my workout. Not a perfect day but still pretty decent! Sometimes life makes it very difficult to follow the nutrition plan but all you can do is your best.

Tomorrow is the always tough Legs & Back and I can't wait to jump on the pull-up bar!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 31: Back, Biceps, and ARX

I totally forgot just how great the Back & Biceps workout is ... Bicep, Bicep, Back, Forearms ...repeat. This is just a killer workout. And the corn-cobb pull-ups are back in my life. I forgot how ridiculous these are ... basically you do a semi-wide grip pull-up. While at the top you move left and then move right and then bring your head towards the bar again. I am able to do four of these before I have to put my foot on the chair to get a few more reps.

Today ARX was one of my better efforts. I felt very strong going into it. Fifer Scissors is always my gauge of how ARX is going to go. If I start to feel the pain around rep 7 or 8, I know it is going to be a long few minutes. But today I didn't start to feel the burn until around rep 16 so it was all down hill from there. I struggled a little with the left side oblique raises and had to pause for a second but crushed it from there on out. Even made it through the Mason Twists!

I had another decent nutrition day today. The job had me leaving early again so I had a protein shake on the road. Around 11am I had a Balance Bar and an Atkins Protein drink. Lunch was a Turkey sub on wheat from Subway. I had a Pure Protein Bar for a snack in the afternoon and then for dinner we had grilled chicken on whole wheat pasta. I also got in my 9 Nitrix tablets and two servings of Cell Mass. A little high on my carb intake but overall pretty clean eating!

Tomorrow is Yoga Day. I am planning on doing Yoga as of now but Cardio X may make an appearance instead!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 30: Plyometrics

After I posted my pics I went upstairs and had an excellent Plyo workout! Plyo is one that will never get old or boring. The beautiful thing about it is that you can modify or add intensity on pretty much every single exercise. Add extra reps or speed, lunge a little deeper, jump a little quicker ... plyo is such a complete workout.

I really tried to push it last night and my legs are feeling it this morning. I have to get on the road in a few minutes but realized I forgot to post my weight and BF% on last night's picture post.

So, on Day 1 I weight 164.4 lbs and my BF% was 17.5%. As of yesterday my weight was 163.8 lbs and my BF% was at 14.5%. Once again I used a digital BF% scale and old fashioned calibers and took the average of the two for my BF%. I'd have like to have gained a little more weight but I am happy with my results so no real complaints!

Tonight I get to do Back & Biceps!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Round 2 Day 30 Pictures

Today is Day 30 of P90X so I snapped my pictures to compare to Day 1. Overall, I am pleased with my pictures. I am also pleased with the new camera we just bought because the Day 30 pics are much clearer than the Day 1 pics. Anyways, I can see more definition in my abs and shoulders. And my lats seem to be bigger. More proof of the power of P90X.

Click Here to see my photos: Day 30 vs Day 1 Pics

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P.s. ... if you click the "slide" in the upper right hand corner of the picture page you can expand the pics and do a side-by-side.

P90X Round 2 Day 29: Chest, Arms, Triceps, and ARX

Welcome to Week 5 ... I forgot how good the Chest, Arms and Triceps workout was until this afternoon. My arms are still feeling the pump four hours later!

I started out this morning with a large breakfast. Egg whites, turkey sausage, a bagel and a protein shake. My morning snack was a Balance Bar and an Atkins 15G Protein Shake (11oz, 160 calories). These Atkins shake taste awesome ... I find myself craving them! I had a grilled chicken breast with carrots for lunch with a piece of whole wheat toast. I am trying to get in the majority of my carbs in the first half of the day so I had a Pure Protein bar for my midday snack and two grilled chicken breast with broccoli for dinner. Very solid nutrition day and my energy level is awesome because of it!

My workout was glorious today. Absolutely crushed every rep and even used 35lb dumbbells on the "Y" presses. I used 25lbs on most of the triceps extensions today. I love the variety in this workout, and the push-ups that Tony uses are just brutal. The ones that alternate between slow motion and then fast just kill me - in a good way! ARX was great today too. I did every rep and added 5 extra reps on in-&-outs, both bicycles, crunchy frogs, and both oblique raises. I wanted to go extra on the Mason Twists but the pain was a little too much so I stopped at 40 reps and then sprawled on the floor for about 5 minutes lying in my sweat....good times!

Okay, it has now been 3 weeks since I started using the Nitrix and Cell Mass supplements. I promised I would update my experiences with them as I go. So here ya go: It took about a week to really feel the effects of them but since then my workouts have been absolutely explosive. I have increased reps and weight on just about every exercise in the P90X videos since I started using these supplements. Also, my muscles seem to be hard, ripped and lean ... and not just when I flex either, pretty much all the time. Cell Mass is a powder and it is to be used twice a day on an empty stomach, one scoop each time. I usually take before lunch time and then immediately after my workout. Nitrix is also to be taken on an empty stomach, 3 tablets, 3 times a day, 9 tablets total! I usually take it immediately when I wake up, before lunch, and before bed.

Now I don't want you to think that the supplements alone deserve all the praise. I have been working very hard on the workouts and eating very clean so by combining these three aspects has been pretty amazing. I have used other supplements in the past with mixed results but so far the Nitrix and Cell Mass get a big, fat "A+" from me! The company that sales them recommends using them on a 12-week cycle which is perfect for P90X!

Tomorrow is Plyo day and 30-DAY PICTURE DAY. I haven't looked at my before pics since I posted them! I feel like I can see the results but the pictures will not lie!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 28: Rest Day and Other Random Thoughts

Today is my scheduled rest day. And after pulling a double workout yesterday I really need it. I am pretty sore. My arms and shoulders feel like they each weight a 100lbs!

So in lieu of a workout I'll do some Housekeeping:

• I Twittered with Charlene Johnson yesterday. She is the creator of ChaLean Extreme, the new workout program being offered by BeachBodies. I saw the infomercial and thought it looked like a solid program and I might want to try it. My only question was that the infomercial seemed to focus mostly on weight loss and I was wondering if it would be good for someone like myself coming off of P90X? Charlene responded that the infomercial primarily focuses on weight loss because that is why most people begin any new workout (which makes perfect sense to me ... gotta go after your target audience!) but that ChaLean Extreme is geared towards reducing Body Fat % and Building Muscle. So, if you are a P90X warrior like myself looking for some variety then ChaLean Extreme might be the next logical choice for you! I am pretty sure when I am done with this round of the X that ChaLean Extreme will be my next program. Thanks to Charlene for taking the time to answer my question it is much appreciated!

• I grew up in Western Pennsylvania and have always been a HUGE fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Major League Baseball. Some of my fondest memories are of the early 90's Pirates teams - Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla, Doug Drabek, and Barry Bonds. Despite 16 years of consecutive losing seasons and living 1500 miles away I am still a big Bucco fan and probably even a bigger MLB fan. So, last week when Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids I had a pretty strong opinion and thought my fitness blog would be a good place for me to share. Well, I woke up this morning with all intentions to post about steroids when I saw an article by Jason Whitlock, of foxsports.com, about Steroids and PEDs. Now I will preface this by saying I read a ton of sports articles every week and usually avoid writers I do not enjoy. Jason Whitlock sits in the #1 position of writers I avoid. My reasoning is that he is a one-trick pony - every article this fat bastard has ever written is about race and race relations in sports. That is all he has, seriously - that's it - he thrives on the controversy of race not caring about who he offends only trying to advance his own career. Now that being said, the article I found was titled "Steroids and PEDs" -- no way this could be another article about race? Not with steroids, hell Arod is Hispanic, Bonds is black, Clemens is white. Whitlock may have actually put together an article that was about facts and insider knowledge... Could it be? So I clicked on it. And Mr. Whitlock, sure not to disappoint, had yet another article about race, claiming white kids do steroids to keep up with black athletes. Anyways, I was planning on blogging about steroids today but after reading the Whitlock article it completely sucked the life out of me and I decided to write about what a piece of garbage Jason Whitlock is ... I feel much better now. And the lesson learned is NEVER read anything by him again. If you want to read his article Click Here ... but I do not recommend you do.

• Tomorrow is the beginning of week 5 for me and Tuesday is Day 30 which means picture day!

• Here is the schedule for the next 3 weeks: Mondays - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and ARX; Tuesdays - Plyometrics; Wednesdays - Back, Biceps and ARX; Thursdays - Yoga; Fridays - Legs, Back, and ARX; Saturdays - Kenpo X; Sundays - Rest.

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday. The weather is beautiful here and Annie and I are going to see comedian Joel Mchale (sp? dude from "The Soup") tonight!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 27: Cardio X

I slept in a little this morning and it felt wonderful. I managed to roll out of bed around 7:30am and make myself an always delicious Whey Vanilla Protein shake and a whole wheat bagel with organic peanut butter. After that I had some errands to run and some chores to do. While out and about I had a Balance Bar (15G protein/21G Carbs/200 calories) and an Atkins Chocolate Shake (15G protein/160 calories). I came home and made myself a chicken sandwich on whole wheat with an apple. I worked in the yard for about an hour - we have been in the low 70's for the last week or so and it is time to get the fertilizer down and the landscaping in order. I love Texas weather this time of year. Not rubbing it in on you northerners -- I lived in the cold for 28 years - I am just stating a fact!

After the lawn work was done I came in and did Cardio X. Now that I am in round 2 of P90X, Cardio X has become a lot like Kenpo X to me - average. They are both very solid workouts but at this point my body is looking for more. So, I slipped in the Arms & Shoulders DVD and did this entire workout! Another Doubles day on what is supposed to be my recovery week? If you are new to P90X I wouldn't recommend doing this but Tony always says listen to your body and my body said to Bring It! Another reason I did this workout is because I bought another set of dumbbells today - 35 lbs - and really wanted to try them out. I used them on the alternating shoulder presses, the congdon curls, and the swimmer presses and they were awesome.

I mentioned in my last post that I Tivo'd the new BeachBodies infomercial ChaLean Extreme. It is very similar to the P90X infomercials that run 24 hours a day. It took real people like you and me and showed before and after results. The program is three-phases that occur over 90 days and has 15 different DVDs, including an Ab and stretch workout. It uses a lot of dumbbells and looks extremely well produced and Charlene Johnson seems like she would be a fun person to be your personal trainer. However, the infomercial really focused on weight loss. Charlene kept talking about how this program turns muscle into fat and I believe that it would do just that. I am just not sure if ChaLean Extreme is for someone like myself who has gone through P90X, P90X + and now another round of P90X. I am down to about 14% body fat and really don't have much left to lose. The infomercial did not really touch on if the program will help you grow your current muscles. That is one of the cool things about P90X, you can use it for weight loss or you can use if for muscle gaining. Just alter the amount of weight and reps and you are all set to go! And they say this time and time again in the P90X infomercial. I am going to Twitter Charlene and ask her this very question and I will let you guys know the response.

Tomorrow is a rest day. I am going to write about something that has been on my mind for awhile: Steroids and PEDs. I know this is a P90X site, but it also a fitness site so I figured it is relevant and hopefully I can make it entertaining.

Until then....

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 26: Core Synergistics

Greetings y'all!


Sorry I didn't post last night. After a long day we decided to watch a movie and promptly passed out on the couch. Yesterday was a productive day overall. I did the Core Synergistic workout around 6am and it is still one of my favorites. This workout just tears down your body from top to bottom. I used 15lb dumbbells for the lung-kickback-curl-press move and I was hurting after that!

After the workout I had a protein shake and a whole grain bagel. Then I was off to work and took a pure protein bar and a half gallon jug of water with me. Lunch was a chicken sandwich on wheat that I packed and then another pure protein bar for the snack on my way home in the car.

I got home around 4:30 and my wife had the day off so she decided we needed to clean up on one of our spare guest rooms. Here in Texas most houses do not have basements. This means we do not have the storage areas for all our junk and most people either store it in the garage, attic, or get a rental unit. Well, we choose "none of the above" and decided to store everything in an empty spare bedroom. So, over a 4-year period this room has accumulated everything from Christmas decorations to unwanted furniture. It was a disaster. The room is 12x14 and we could barely walk into it. We decided the majority of it would go into either the attic or trash and what was left over would go to an upcoming yard sale. I had no idea how hard it would be to carry all this stuff into the attic! It was like I got in another P90X workout by doing this. I was beat. at around 8pm I threw some steaks on the grill and had broccoli and long grain rice with the steak and then I hit the couch - good night!

Tonight I am scheduled to do Yoga to finish off my recovery week and I just might do it! Yoga twice in a week is difficult for me but I could use the stretched out feeling that comes with the Yoga workout.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

**Ps ... I Tivo'd the new Beach Bodies workout infomercial called: ChaLean Extreme. Going to watch it a little later today and if it looks good it may be my next Workout Program to blog about? **

P90X Mail Bag

As I mentioned a couple of posts back I have been receiving a lot of P90X related emails. So, once a week I will pick one of the more popular questions and post it online and hopefully it will help those of you on the fence about starting P90X make a decision.

Today's Question: What do I need to buy to get started with P90X?

This is always a good question. Heck, I think I was on the BeachBodies message boards asking it before I started. I will break it down into two sections: Absolutely Need and Nice to Have!

Absolutely Need:

• The P90X DVDs - order this from BeachBodies. Spend the money. It is worth its weight in gold!


• The P90X Fitness Guide and Nutrition Guide - Comes with the DVDs and they are both essential in understanding and executing the program. These are as important as the DVDs and why you should suck it up and buy the package and not pirate it from limewire :-)


• A Pull-Up Bar - The one sold by BeachBodies is nice and it is the one I use. However, if I had to do it over again I probably would have bought a cheaper one at Academy Sports or the Sports Authority. Also, I tried using the resistance bands with a door attachment for the pull-up exercise. It is an okay alternative if you are traveling but if you want the extreme results that are shown on TV then the bar is a must.


• Before Pictures - It may sound lame to you. It may actually be lame! But knowing that you are going to have to compare those before pictures to 30,60, and 90 day ones is a real motivator - Trust me and do it.


• A Yoga Mat - I have soft carpet and tried going without a mat for the first few days. Bad idea! Carpet burn from Ab Ripper X was brutal. Get the Mat - it is well worth it.


• Whey Protein Powder - Especially needed during the Fat Shredding Phase 1 of the program. One of the main staples of my diet.


• Workout Tracker - Use Either the paper version or the excel spreadsheet version. It is important to track your results each week. It helps with motivation and it also lets you know how you are progressing. As Tony says over and over again, "Write it Down!".


• Dumbbell or Resistance Bands - My first round of P90X I used resistance bands and had excellent results. They are the way to go if you are trying to stay within a budget. However, during this round I am using Dumbbells and the results are superior. Bands work well but dumbbells are better.


• Recovery Drink - There are literally hundreds on the market. BeachBodies recommends the P90X Recovery Drink and it is excellent tasting. I am currently using Cell Mass. You can choose whatever works for you but whatever one you choose it is an import piece of the puzzle in achieving optimal results. These workouts are extreme and your body needs to be replenished.


• P90X Fit Test - This is a fitness test that is to be completed before you start P90X. I highly recommend you do it and if you do not pass then you may want to try a less intense workout before you do P90X. P90X is extreme and it is hard. I was not in great shape when I started but I wasn't a couch potato either. You have to Bring It to get the results but if you are not fit enough to do this you might be disappointed in P90X.


• 90 Consecutive Days on your calendar - This may sound obvious but if you have a two week vacation coming up then wait to start until you get back. This program is setup to be done for 90 days in a row and if you take breaks your results will suffer.

Okay, I know that seems like a lot but most of it can be ordered at the P90X website.

Nice to Have:

• Power Stands - These are handles that allow you to get deep in you push-ups and also help the impact on your wrists. When I first began I did not have the stands. After week one my wrists were very sore so I went out and got them. In hindsight, probably the best accessory I bought.


• Yoga Blocks - Yoga is the exercise that is done the most on the P90X program. If you are like I was and a rookie to Yoga you probably have a ways to go to achieve decent flexibility - the blocks really help. I have two of them.


• Body Fat Calibers - These are inexpensive and easy to use. I recommend buying them before day 1 and taking a measurement. Sometimes the scale stops moving, especially when changing phases, and you may get frustrated, take a BF% measurement and you will find all the motivation you need to power through a couple more days!


• Protein Bars - I use the Pure Protein Bars for my snacks. Unless you are T-rex when it comes to meat and poultry consumption these bars really help you get the necessary protein needed. And they are quick and easy.


• Enough Room to do all the exercises - Once again this sounds pretty obvious but some of the workouts require jumping and lunging. You can always modify but if you have a couple of options on where to make you P90X Base Camp I recommend picking the spot with the most room.


• A Workout Partner - This should probably be in the column above and this may sound stupid but 90 days is a long time to go it alone. Find some support. Get a buddy or spouse to to do it with you, join the Beach Bodies message boards, start a blog, or visit this one. You will need support and you will have questions about the diet and the workouts. Reach out to other P90Xers because you will find that it is a lot easier to do this when you have a support group. I am a stubborn SOB and I never would have made it the full 90 days without my buddies Mike and Matt doing the program too. We were thousands of miles from each other but sharing the successes and failures each day got me through and I know it helped them also.

That is my list. If you have any others that I may have missed please add them in the comments below.

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 25: Interval X & Kenpo X

For some reason I had a ton of energy today. I started out the morning on the road around 6:30am and had a Whey Protein drink and a whole wheat bagel in the car on my way to my first appointment. My morning snack was a Pure Protein Bar. I had a Turkey sandwich on whole wheat for lunch with a few apple slices. I had another Pure Protein bar in the middle of the day and just finished of some grilled chicken breast over salad with carrots. I also took my nine Nitrix tablets throughout the day my Cell Mass around lunch and then again after my workouts.

So today I decided to do the P90X PLUS DVD Interval X in place of Kenpo. As I mentioned a few days ago Interval X is just a hard core cardio workout that just kicks my butt. It is one of my favorite P90X workouts and by far the best of the P90X PLUS series. Well, I was soaking wet with sweat after I finished Interval X but I still had a TON of energy. So, I put in the Kenpo X DVD and did that workout too! I made it a doubles day - mostly because I was feeling great but I think I also felt bad about missing yesterday and I wanted to make up for it. After the Kenpo workout I was pretty beat and as I sit here now watching South Park I am feeling very tired. I should sleep good tonight!

Tomorrow is the always awesome Core Synergistics workout!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Dangle the Carrot now on Facebook

I started a Group on Facebook for all of us P90X/Facebook junkies. This should be a good way to interact with other P90Xers and share your workouts and other experiences. So, if you are new to P90X or Facebook click the link below to get started:

Dangle the Carrot ... A P90X Support Group

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 24: Rest Day

Hello everyone. Today I was scheduled to do Kenpo X as the required workout for my Day 24 Recovery Week. However, circumstances prevented that from happening so today is tomorrow's rest day and tomorrow will be Kenpo X day (which I am going to replace with the more extreme Inteval X).

And if in your poll at work you selected "What Circumstance Caused Jeff To Miss his Scheduled workout?" and you guessed: Jeff and his wife went to an early dinner at a friends house and then Annie and the wife of said friend decided to go visit other friends who just had a new baby and promised to be gone for only a 1/2 hour and took Jeff's car to do this and then didn't return for almost 4 hours leaving Jeff stranded and unable to get home to do his workout -- then you sir are a winner!

And as you can probably tell from that extremely long run-on sentence above that I am not at all bitter!

See you later for my Interval X Workout!

Thanks for Reading!

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 23: Core Synergistics

One of the best things about the recovery weeks is that you get to do Core Synergistics, twice! In my opinion this is one of the best, most complete P90X workouts.

I had another solid nutrition day today. I did up my carbs more than I should have with the extra 1/2 cup of long grain wild rice for dinner. It put my ratios at about 50 Carbs/30 Protein/20 Fat today but I was craving the carbs and have been working hard so I cannot say I feel bad about it!

As for the workout today it was great. My lovely wife Annie (pictured above) decided to join me for Core Synergistics and it was fun to have a workout partner. She burned about 300 calories and I ripped off 495. My average heart rate was 135 and my max was 175. I can't find her HRM to tell you hers, sorry. If was fun to watch someone else grunt their way through Superman - Banana. It was also very fun to not be the only one struggling on the lung-kickback-curl-press move. She did very well on the workout but I bet she is going to be sore tomorrow from it!!

Right now I am feeling very strong and am looking forward to my workouts everyday. Some of this has to be credited to the supplements I am taking each day: Nitrix and Cell Mass. So far these have been just an awesome stack and I can feel the difference they are making. My energy, strength, stamina, intensity, and focus all seem to have improved since I started using these products. It may be too early to tell if the effects will last the full 90 days but as of day 23 I have to grade both products an "A".

Tomorrow is Interval X again instead of Kenpo X. and I am going to have another "Mailbag" or questions column. I am thinking about doing this weekly since I have been receiving so many questions lately.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 22: Yoga Day

Well, this is my second attempt at this post. Right before I hit "publish" Blogger decided to crap out on me and nothing saved so at the sake of my sanity this is going to be a much shorter post.

Today was the first day of week 4 which is also know as the recovery week. In case you are wondering, the recovery week is basically cardio, stretching, and yoga. It is designed to give your body a break from the high impact lifting and plyo workouts and to also break up the routine to prevent the dreaded plateau. Another benefit is that it allows you to rest up for week 5 which introduces two new weight lifting workouts that are pretty intense. It is all about the muscle confusion and believe me your muscles will be confused!

I did the entire Yoga routine today. I did not like it but I still did it and am sort of proud of myself! However, I was feeling great so I also did ARX and then a few shoulder and arm reps with my dumbbells. I also had an excellent nutrition day. About 2700 calories and I hit the 40/40/20 ratio right on the head again!

I must admit that I feel much different heading into the recovery week than I did during my first round of P90X. Last time my body was beat down, sore and tired. I really needed the low impact week and so did my body. This time is a little different. My energy level is as good as it ever has been and my body feels great. I am literally attacking my workouts everyday. So, this week I am planning on adding additional reps/exercises to each day and may skip the middle of the week rest/stretch day. However, for you first time P90Xers out there I would not recommend doing this. Stick to the program and then you can mix it up if you survive the first 90 days!!!

Tomorrow is the Core Synergistics Day -- I love this workout!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 21: REST DAY!

3 Weeks Down ..... 10 Weeks to go!

Starting Monday we have the low impact, cardio heavy "Rest Week" that is part of the P90x program.

Here is my schedule for the next seven days:

Monday: Yoga

Tuesday: Core Synergists

Wednesday: Interval X (replacing Kenpo)

Thursday: StretchX or Rest

Friday: Core Synergistics

Saturday: Yoga

Sunday: Rest Day

As I mentioned in the post below I am concerned about losing the lean weight that I have worked to put on and may add some weight lifting in this week. Since this is my first attempt at "tweaking" the Rest Week I am going to sort of decide as I go. If I am feeling strong after a workout then the dumbbells may make an appearance. If I am feeling drained then maybe I needed this rest week more than I realized!

Also, no way that I can do Yoga twice in a week -- Cardio X will be utilized at least once this week!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 20: Kenpo X

Good Day! Posting a little late. Was doing some painting in the house and my cable modem and router were unplugged but now the painting is finished and yesterday was my Kenpo Day. Kenpo used to be one of my favorite workouts, but the last couple of weeks it has felt rather monotonous to me. When I first started P90X Kenpo made me sweat like an ice cold bottle of beer sitting on the beach, but now I barely break a sweat. My HRM said I burned only 325 calories and my average HR was 121.

In my opinion this is both a good and a bad thing. The good being that I am in much better cardio shape and general overall health then I was before P90X. The bad being that Kenpo just isn't doing it for me anymore?

So, what is a P90X junkie like myself to do? Last week you might remember I mixed in the Interval X from the P90X PLUS DVDs. I love this workout the the problem was that I did it in place of Yoga and then did Legs & Back on Friday. Well, by the time Saturday morning rolled around my legs were pretty much toast. Those two workouts back-to-back were a little too much to handle, at least on a weekly basis. This leaves me with an opportunity to get the most out of my workouts while still doing routines that I find enjoyable (except for Yoga). So, I am going to do Interval X instead of Kenpo from this point on and I might even do Kenpo Plus to mix it up more. Now your probably thinking, "What the heck is Kenpo Plus?".... Kenpo PLUS is another DVD from the P90X PLUS workouts. It is only 42 minutes long and it is more intense than the original Kenpo but less intense than Interval X, hence the reason I will do Interval X. And if you want to know why I am not doing the entire P90X PLUS program read about it here: P90X PLUS Review.

Now that we have things cleared up I am off to enjoy my clean eating day of rest.

Monday begins my first "rest week" of Round 2 and I can't say that I am really looking forward to it. During Round 1 the "rest week" was very much needed, but this round?? .....Not so much! I have actually put a few pounds back on due to my increased calorie intake and use of heavy dumbbells during the weight training days and am fearful the cardio heavy upcoming week will have me drop those hard earned lean pounds! I might mix in a few weight lifting reps on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We'll see....

Thanks for Reading.

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 19: Legs. Back, and Ab Ripper X

Happy Friday everyone! Today was a good day all around. I started out my morning with a whey protein drink and some whole grain toast with peanut butter. I had a pure protein bar for the midmorning snack. Lunch was a big chicken salad with fat-free dressing and a Atkins Vanilla Protein (15G) drink. I had some carrots for an afternoon snack and am having a Caesar salad with chicken for dinner and some apple slices. I also drank at least a gallon of water already today and took all my Nitrix tablets and had Cell Mass around 1pm and then again after my workout.

I am really feeling the new supplements I am taking. My energy has been through the roof! After today's workout I did three more sets of static curls and swimmer presses. The Legs & Back routine just beats up your whole body. Eight different sets of pullups/chinups absolutely kills your back and all the squats and lounges make your thighs and calves burn like hell. Then you toss in Ab Ripper X and this is just a complete body workout.

Tomorrow is Kenpo X day and then Sunday is the Rest or Stretch Day.

Thanks for Reading

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 18: Interval X

Hmmm .... some of you are probably thinking Day 18 should be Yoga ...Well, you are right it should be. But I had a TON of energy and wanted to really Bring it so I decided to put in Interval X..... and I hate Yoga so this was an easy decision. However, I do recommend sticking to the schedule on your first run through P90X!

If you were wondering .... Interval X is from the P90X PLUS workouts and it makes Plyometrics feel like a casual walk in the park. It is 42 minutes long and you only have one 60 second break with 5 minutes of warm up and 3 minutes of cool down so the actual workout is only 35 minutes. You do a total of 24 different Interval type exercises. Yes, 24 exercises in only 35 minutes is brutal. I burned a total of 495 calories in these 35 minutes and my average heart rate was 156 BPM.

As a side note, my wife Annie decided to try the Interval X workout today. Annie is in very good shape. She does cardio, spinning, and body combat like 4 times a week. She said she was shaking midway through Interval X because it kicked her butt so bad! Much better than Yoga! See is very close to joining this P90X cult!

Tomorrow is Legs, Backs, and Ab Ripper X.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 17: Arms, Shoulder, and Ab Ripper X

"Tip of the Day: Do not smash your face!"
-Tony Horton

Today was Arms, Shoulders, and ARX. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite workouts now that I am using dumbbells instead of resistance bands. The bonus round is just ridiculous and my shoulder and triceps are just on fire. Excellent workout! Also, I have now been using Cell Mass and Nitrix for a few days now and I believe today I finally felt their impact. I increased every rep today and even upped my weight on a few of the exercises. I was pumped when I began my workout my energy level did not decrease at all. My veins in my arms were bursting out like I haven't seen since my weightlifting and football playing days. I am excited to continue this new supplement stack and am really hopeful after today's workout that it is going to be successful!

Anyways, you are probably wondering what the question mark picture is all about? Well, when I started this blog a little over 7 months ago I figured that a few of my family and friends would be to only ones to read it and sparingly at that! Basically, I assumed it would be more like a diary as opposed to a blog and I would be the only person who would actually benefit from my own postings. I was completely wrong. I failed to realize the massive amount of people who were doing or considering doing P90X and how many of them would actually take to the Internet to research P90X. I should have realized this since the, "Get Ripped in 90 Days" infomercials runs like 24 hours a day!!! Literally thousands of people have visited this blog and many have emailed me all types of questions about a plethora of different P90X related subjects. So, now I realize that I am no longer just doing this blog for myself and that my opinion is helping people to decide whether or not to make a major change in there lives. I enjoy doing this and am more than happy to to answer all the questions that are coming in!

However, one question I receive time and time again is: I have a(n) --fill in the blank-- injury can I still do P90X?

First off, I am not a Doctor ... But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night! ... Sorry that was dumb but it made me laugh!

In all seriousness, I have a tough time answering this question because everyone is different and pain thresholds are different. A number of factors go into answering this question and the last thing I want to do is offer up my advice and someone takes it and then gets hurt. That would not be cool. So, what I am going to do is list all the injuries I have had, and they are many, and then you can look at that list and hopefully this will help you answer the question of P90X and injuries. And I can then just post this link when someone send me an email with this question again :-)

My Injuries:

• Broken right arm - 2 times
• Broken right wrist
• Broken left arm
• Broken right hand
• Broken ribs - left side
• Separated right shoulder
• All 3 ligaments in right shoulder torn
• Broken right clavicle - 2 times
• Broken left clavicle
• Broken left foot
• All 8 fingers have been broken (not thumbs though!)
• 3 concussions and 10 stitches on chin!!!
• Torn left groin muscle
• Torn right hamstring
• Numerous ankle sprains, shin splints, and other muscles strains and pulls (including a shoulder pull during my last round of X)

So, as you can see, I am pretty much a walking, talking, typing accident waiting to happen. I am 33 years old and I am already starting to have some symptoms of arthritis, especially in my hands and right shoulder. The good news is that since I decided to change my life and eating habits by doing P90X these symptoms have significantly subsided.

The point of this whole post is that despite numerous injuries and pains I was/am still able to get results by doing P90X. I am sure some of you have had far worse injuries than I have had and you are getting results also. Please post them in the comments because you might be able to help those whose who might be on the fence about starting P90X.

The bottom line is that no matter what your injury may be you really should consult your doctor. P90X is a difficult program and it does require a certain level of physical ability but the beauty of the P90X program is that you can modify the majority of the exercises to fit your abilities. I hope this post helps answers some of the questions many of you seems to have about injuries and P90X, but if it does not then go ahead and send me an email!

Thanks for Reading

Jeff

jeffirvin@gmail.com

P90X Round 2 Day 16: Plyometrics

Good Morning!

Last night I tackled "The Beast", plyometrics! No matter how many times I do this workout it does not get easier. I went through a 1/2 gallon jug of water and had to actually pause a couple of times to catch my breath.

I burned 609 calories and my max heart rate hit 187 bpm. Just a great workout last night!

My leg are sore this morning. Especially my shins??

I am now in full cycle with Cell Mass and Nitrix. I can't really say I feel any different but it has only been a few days. We will she if they help me during todays weight training workout.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 15: Chest, Back, and Ab Ripper X

Jumped back on the horse today and ripped off an excellent Chest and Back routine. First off, I ate like crap, as expected, during the Super Bowl party yesterday. I have been eating clean for six months so I am not feeling too guilty but I am not feeling good about it. But, it is now in the past and I will work that much harder this week to burn it off.

Chest and Back is always a fun exercise for me. Mainly because you get two cracks at it! You do 12 different exercises and then come back and do all 12 exercises again. Uusually, I don't KILL myself during the first run through because I want to have something left for time two. Not today... I did reps until failure on pretty much all 24 exercises -- except the Diamond Push-ups. For some reason the Diamond Push-ups absolutely kill my wrists. Basically you place your hands directly below the center of your chest with your thumbs touching and point finger touching so you make like a triangle shape with these fingers. However, it just burns my wrist and not a good burn so I stop on these ones when it starts to hurt. But everything else I brough the hell out of it. My upper back and pectorial muscles are very sore right now.

Then I moved to ARX and it was difficult today. I struggled on the reverse bicycles, left oblique raises and mason twists. I got to 40 on the twists but I had to pause on 30 and couldn't do the bonus. It is amazing how ARX just never gets easier. It is just a brutal 15 minutes every single time.

I got a question -- What kind of snack bar do you guys recommend?

I normally have a Pure Protein bar (19G of Protein/200 Cals/5 carbs) for my midday snacks but since I am adding more calories and carbs to my diet I am looking for a bar that gives me more. Preferrably the bars will not contain high fructose corn syrup (Tony Horton says it is B-A-D!). So, fire up your suggestions because I am at a loss! Oh..the South Beach Diet ones would be perfect but they DESTROY my stomach and my poor wife does not deserve that!

Tomorrow is the beast --Plyometrics! I am now off to watch Jack Bauer save the country one more time.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Round 2 Day 14: Day of Rest!

P90X Round 2 Day 13: Kenpo X

Enjoyed my Kenpo workout on Saturday. Had a very good sweat going and I burned a total of 432 calories.

My diet was awful on Saturday. We went to a rodeo in Humble and it was the BBQ cookoff day! We ended up at a tent eating BBQ like crazy. It was a lot of protein and that was good but all the beer was not. I had about ten too many!!

The weird thing is that my body is still burning fat like crazy. On Sunday morning I weighted 163lbs and my Body Fat Percentage is 16%.

On Monday I am starting the Cell Mass and Nitrix. And I am stopping Wheybolic Extreme 60 and creatine. Hopefully, I can gain a little bit of lean bulk!

Sunday is the Rest Day and Monday is Chest, Back, and Ab Ripper X.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff