Feeling Pretty Good ... Time to Start a new Round of the X

Hey y'all!

Well, I have been taking the cortisone pills and I am feeling wonderful!

My shoulder pain is pretty much gone. So is every other little ache I have ever had in my body! This stuff rocks! I can see why people become addicted to pain killers -- they are great. So everything bad I ever said about Brett Favre and Rush Limbaugh and their pain pill addictions I take back.

Now that I am feeling great I am going to do another round of P90X Classic. I wasn't really digging the PLUS all that much so back to the original it will be. I am excited to start because last time I was in pretty awful shape conditioning wise. This time I am starting at 165 lbs and about 17% body fat. I already found out how P90X works for fat out of shape guy. This time we will see how it works for someone who is in decent shape. AND I am using dumbells instead of the bands this time. Should be fun.

Also, fellow P90X blogger Joc over at Bring It! is going to start the new BeachBodies workout called ChaLean Extreme. It looks pretty intense and really focuses on weight lifting and building muscle through lifting as opposed to a lifting/cardio mix. So, I figured since Joc already ordered it we can all follow her progress and she can be our fitness guinea pig! Thanks Joc!

I will be done with my Cortisone cycle on Saturday. I will then begin a new creatine cycle and start on Monday the 19th --- I cannot wait!

So why am I going back to P90X Classic instead of P90X PLUS? I'll save that one for tomorrow's post. I have to go watch Jack Bauer waste some terrorists on the Tivo! Also some exciting changes are going to happen to the blog, once I get all the details I will post the info here ...stay tuned!

As always thanks for reading and I'd also like to apologize for my sporadic postings while I was dealing with this injury. But I am back now and am excited to Bring It again!

Jeff

P90X PLUS Day 10: Total Body Plus/Ab Ripper X

Good day today. Got in my workout this morning and I feel great. Added in the Ab Ripper X at the end. I am glad we decided to add in more Ab Ripper X to the whole PLUS plan. Only problem is that Total Body Plus is so damn hard that I didn't have much left for Ab Ripper X!

Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you tomorrow for Yoga.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X PLUS Day 9: Interval X

Wow is this a good workout!

Breakfast this morning was a protein shake followed by protein bar. Lunch was a turkey and chicken salad followed by another protein bar. I then worked out, had an post-workout Protein shake and had Turkey and a cup of brown rice or dinner with an apple for dessert. Decent nutrition day!

Interval X is a pure ass kicker! I am still tired. My average heart rate was 143 and I actually got up to the low 180's a couple of times. I probably sweat two buckets also! The bad news is that I bonked on the 2nd to last exercise. Literally I could barely move ... then I saw the next exercise was, "running in place" and I knew I only had one more to go and I dug down and did it. This told me that the 60%protein/20% Carb diet is over. The last couple of days my energy level has been very low. At first I thought it may have been because I wasn't getting a ton of sleep but after today I am positive it is the lack of carbs in the diet. So, unless I want my workouts to be for shit I need to add in the carbs. All the advice from the experts at Beachbodies tells you to listen to your body and right now my body is screaming for carbs. I had brown rice tonight for dinner and immediately felt better. So from here on out whole wheat bread, bagels and tortilla shells are back and I am excited.

I plan on doing Total Body Plus tomorrow morning!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X PLUS Day 5: Upper Plus & Abs/Core Plus

Hello, Hope all is well for everyone!

I started out today with an EAS Vanilla Whey Protein Shake with a banana blended in. I love vanilla and banana smoothies they make me get out of bed in the mornings. I also wanted some carbs this morning. The whole wheat bagels in the fridge where actually mocking me .... they were sitting there looking all delicious! I passed because I was planning on a chicken sandwich for lunch and the wheat bread along with the few grams of carbs in the smoothie would make up my entire 20% of carb allowance!

This brings me to a question ... What type of Protein Powder does everyone else use?

I'll run down the ones I have sampled and would like to hear what everyone else is doing. First, I had the Smoothie King Gladiator Tub (23G/Scoop). It was chocolate flavored and tasted very good. The problem was that it was like $50 for a tube and it had a very high amount of carbs. I thought that to be a bit pricey. Then I tried this Tub that I got at Target for $18. It is called Body Fortress (26G/Scoop) and was 100% Whey Protein. It worked fine when I put it in a blender with ice and fruit to make a smoothie but it didn't absorb very well in just milk or water. I almost felt that is was priced so good that it was a lesser quality powder? It wasn't as good tasting as the Gladiator powder either. Then I tried EAS 100% Whey Protein Powder. It is 23G/scoop and comes in vanilla, chocolate or strawberry and is priced at about $23. It blended with water and milk and tasted great. I would have kept using this but the next time I ran out I went back to Target and they were sold out? I even asked if they had any in the back. So, I went to GNC during the Gold Discount Week and bought the GNC Private Label 100% Whey Protein. It was Strawberry -- very good with a banana also!! It was $24 a tub and I believe 20G/Scoop. It mixed well with water and milk but it did not blend well with ice and fruit. It would get clumpy when used with my blender. And it only tasted so-so. So, after all that rambling I have purchased bulk supply of the EAS tubs. I have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry and probably will not try another brand unless someone has an awesome recommendation!

Okay, now that I got that out of my system lets move on to Upper Plus and Abs/Core Plus. Both of these are very solid workouts. I burned a total of 558 calories during the workout today and my arms feel like strings of spaghetti. The damn combat pushups at the end of UP just murders me. And the "L Chin-ups" are by far the hardest move for me to do on all the PLUS workouts. I cannot do the chin-up with my legs L'd. I pull myself up and then make the L and slowly lower myself down -- just like the ripped little blondie mom who giggles a lot in the videos. Except I cannot even make a full L. It is more like a half L, if that even makes sense? It absolutely destroys my shoulders and abs. I did seven today and it may have been one too many because I was still hurting from it a few moves later. I am getting better at Abs/Core Plus. I really like how this workout makes my obliques and lower back just ache. In my opinion, Ab Ripper X is a superior Ab workout and I think it needs to be incorporated into P90X PLUS more than it is, but that being said Abs/Core Plus really blasts your entire core. Even more so that Core Synergistics, once again - just my opinion. And I think by doing ACP it is going to make me even stronger at doing Ab Ripper X.

Alright, today is my wife Annie's birthday so we are going out with friends for some sushi and drinks. So, Happy Birthday Annie!

Tomorrow is Kenpo Plus.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X PLUS Day 4: Yoga X

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga .... let me count the ways how I hate thee!!!

You know, every week starts out and I am excited to jump into it. The first three days go great and I get in these awesome workouts and then Day 4 of the week comes along and everything comes to a screeching halt! All because of Yoga X.

Well today I gave myself a pep talk. I said, "Self -- I know you hate yoga but this is a whole new 90 days so why not give it another shot and really open your mind up and enjoy the yoga." So, I got changed into comfy yoga type clothes, turned off the over head light and put in the yoga disk. I made it t0 reverse warrior and said screw this and did Cardio X. So, I had an awesome Cardio X workout and I'd like to thank Yoga X for the nice 25 minute stretch before I started.

The thing about yoga for me is that I have to be in the right state of mind to do it. And that state of mind needs to be relaxed. And unfortunately for me being relaxed in not to common of a thing! So, next week I will try again to find my inner yoga, but will probably do Plyo or Cardio X.

Other than my impatience with Yoga I had a good day nutrition wise. Started off with a strawberry and banana protein shake, a protein bar for a snack, a big old chicken salad for lunch, a protein bar and apple for midday snack, and finally a 12 oz of grilled lean round steak for dinner. I also had the Wheybolic Extreme 60 Protein Shake for my post workout drink. Once again I had a ton of Protein today (about 200 grams) and about 2700 calories.

Tomorrow is Upper Plus and Abs Core Plus and I am looking forward to this!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X PLUS Day 2: Interval X & Abs/Core Plus

Sorry for the late post! I started reading a book last night and promptly fell right asleep.

That is what Interval X will do to you I guess! What a great workout -- it is only a little of 40 minutes long but it is very fast. Interval has you increase your intensity levels as you go so you can really bring it time and time again. Example is on the first exercise you run in place for 20 seconds at a moderate pace. Then the next 20 seconds you pick it up. Then the final 20 seconds you bring it hard. Then the next exercise starts and you repeat the sequences. Very good cardio workout!

I burned 702 calories and my average heart rate was 155 bpm. So, this one really had me working!

Ads/Core went a little better for me today as well. It always gets easier with each time through -- especially on DVDs like this that have difficult moves to master! I am still not sure how I feel about Abs/Core? My lower back is sore again today and I think the core portion is really good -- I just wish it had more ab concentrated moves. I may have to start mixing in ABX -- we shall see how it goes!

Today is Total Body Plus -- just sounds intimidating!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X PLUS Day 1: Upper Plus & Abs/Core Plus

The Next Level Began today!

Before I get into the workout lets begin with a couple of stats and how I am going to go about the next 89 days

First, my weight is 167 lbs. That is a 14 lb loss from where I started with P90X. I gained zero pounds (thank you very much!) over the 11 days I took off. My Body Fat % is 17.5 percent. I used a digital scale that sends an electric pulse through you and I also used old fashion calibers. I did each one three times and took the average to come up with 17.5%.

The supplements I will be using this round are 100% Whey Protein (40G) - mostly for breakfast. Wheybolic Extreme 60, which is a post-workout drink, 3 scoops is 60 grams of protein. The pre-workout drink I will be using is NanoVapor (only when needed). I am also a week into a cycle of creatine. These will be used for my first 30 days to coincide with the nutrition plan which calls for 60% of my diet to be protein. I am in level 2 of the P90X nutrition plan and this calls for about 2600 calories per day. The protein bars I am using are called Pure Protein and they are 19G of protein and 210 calories per bar and I might have a minor addiction to them!

Sorry, I like stats! I know that is disappointing to my female readers who more than likely used to think that I am a super cool guy until I just unveiled that little nugget of info (haha ... just kidding!)! But I do like stats so I am keeping a TON of them this round. If anyone shares my glee of said stats send me an email and I will forward them onto you. If for some reason you are having trouble sleeping at night I can forward to you as well -- you'll be out in like 2 minutes!

Alright, onto the workout! Upper Plus kicked the crap out of me! Tony introduced something called the "Frog Push-up" and "L Chin-up". The frog is a push-up and then you spread your legs in a "V" and jump them up to your hands then jump back and do a push-up again and repeat ... sweat inducer! The "L" is a chin-up that you keep your legs straight out - toes to the ceiling like - then pull yourself up to the bar and slowly down. I had a ton of trouble with this because I was swinging back and forth and it really hurt my arms! Upper Plus is brutal. I also have decided to use dumbells instead of resistance bands on this round! And the dumbells are definitely more intense than the Bands. My arms had veins popping out all over them - never really had that with the bands.

Now onto Abs/Core Plus. This was also very challenging. I think the first time I did Ab Ripper X was more difficult than Abs/Core plus but overall Abs/Core is a more complete core workout. Tony did something called Banana Cannonballs and the killed me ... banana to cannonball ...banana to cannonball. Also he had us do a bunch of moves while hanging from the pullup bar. I felt myself getting nauseous a few time!

Overall, the two PLUS workouts were very fast paced and it is going to take a little time to get used to the moves but I think I am going to enjoy this workout and I did appreciate the 40 minute Upper Plus and 20 minute Abs/Core Plus -- I burned 583 calories -- awesome for a non-cardio workout!

Tomorrow is something called Interval X and it sounds a little scary. Glad to be back in the swing of things!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X: Can I fit P90X into my busy schedule?

Since I have started P90X a lot of people have asked about the program and how they can start. A few of the people have said that the program seems to to be great but they just do not have time for it. I found a really good blog post on ExtremeBodyWorkout.com that explains why and how you can make it work. Here is the link: Click Here

Happy Reading,

Jeff

Countdown to P90X +PLUS+ ... and other ramblings

Hello Everyone!

It has been a few days since I finished up P90X so I wanted to login and talk about how it has been going and my P90X PLUS prep.

• Friday (12/5/08) was my last day of P90X and Annie and I went out to dinner with some friends. My reward for graduating was a HUGE Stromboli and it was fantastic. I also had a few Shiner Bock beers. As good as the Stromboli was I can honestly say that I did not feel very good about eating it. Since then I have been pretty good -- Whey Protein Drinks/Shakes, protein bars, long grain rice, chicken, turkey, chef salads, whole grain bread, whole grain tortilla shells, veggies, and fruits!! I have been having all three meals and two snacks. My weight is 166 lbs - 1 lb loss since Friday!

• Annie and I bought a scale that measures body fat%, body water%, and weight. My BF% was 17.4 %, BW% was 58%, and my weight was 166 lbs. I also ordered a device that allows you to measure fat % on different parts of the body (If you cut off my head I'd be down to 5% body fat. ...lol). So, a day before I start the PLUS I will take a bunch of these measurements so progress can be tracked at the micro-management level ...awesome!

• The problem with P90X + is the name. I want to type it like "P90X+" but it doesn't look right to me. People are thinking P90X plus what? Like I should be adding something next to it. And if you end a sentence with a period or question mark it looks goofy. Example: I love P90X +! or Is that P90X +? .... See, doesn't look right. So from here on it will be known as P90X "PLUS" or if I am feeling lazy just "The PLUS" ... and yes, I probably do need psychological help.

• If anyone wants to see the workout tracker Excel spreadsheet I will be using send me an email (jeffirvin@gmail.com) and I will forward it to you. It is freaking ridiculously detailed. Whoever created it has crazy, mad excel skills and crazy, mad free time. It holds more information than I have ever seen in a Spreadsheet - and I have worked in Corporate America for 11 years. Damn thing is an eye chart. I need some sort of training to figure out how to work this spreadsheet. Thanks to Doug over at YAMAG-BAP for forwarding it to me!

• That show "The Biggest Loser" is on TV right now. Some of these people have lost upwards off 1oo lbs -- it is pretty amazing! However, everytime I see this show I think to myself, "How in the hell do you let that happen to yourself?" And then it was explained to me ...... A segment of the show came on and one of the previously fat girls was watching a video of her former fat self with Jillian the trainer and they were both crying endlessly. And the now not-as-fat girl was blaming her former fat self for being fat because of her parents divorce and she felt her mother didn't lover her. Seriously? She is blaming her parents? So her parents forced her to stick the fried chicken wings in her mouth? Or eat a gallon of Rocky Road ice cream? That is a bunch of shit. I love how our society has made it so nothing is ever anyone's fault.....my parents didn't hug me as a child ... my third grade BFF said I was stupid ... I was drunk (okay maybe this one is valid)....we live in a society of freaking whiners, jeez. Anyways, where I was heading with this is it reminds me of a post from P90X trainer Tony Horton's blog about taking responsibility for yourself. If you haven't seen it yet it is a good read ... click here.

• I believe "The Office" is a better show than "Seinfield" and "Cheers" .... there, I said it!

• Today it got really cold here so I decided to go to the Gym. I hit the treadmill for 45 mins and burned 438 calories. I was going to do Cardio X but since THE PLUS is starting back up on Monday I figured I'd do something different and the treadmill it was! The gym is so damn boring. I noticed as I jogged on the treadmill that a lot of people walk around and socialize more than workout. One dude was in front of me when I walked in (he forgot his card and was digging through a bag looking for it as I patiently stood behind him waiting ...asshole.) Anyways, I got on the treadmill and he talked to a group of Gold's Gym employees for like 20 minutes right next to me. Then like five minutes later I saw him sitting on the ab machine talking to some other guy for like another 20 minutes ... I did not notice him do a single crunch! When I was done this dipshit was walking out the door at the same time as me. He must of had a hell of a workout! ..... These are the things you notice at a gym when you forget your iPod. Lesson of the day: Don't forget the iPod!

I'll be back in a couple of days and layout the PLUS routine in more detail for those of you that would like to know more about what promises to be an extemely brutal workout!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff