Coming Fall 2011: P90X2 (aka P90X:MC2)

Get ready, people.  P90X2 is coming this fall.  I am so ready!

P90X 6 Week Results + Program Change

I enjoy the P90X program quite a bit, and I think that it works very well for my body when I'm wanting to focus on increasing muscular strength.  It also has the ability to add muscular mass if that's what one is looking for, which is excellent for a home-based DVD series. 

My true focus for the first half of the year was (and still is) leaning out (i.e. reducing my level of body fat, maintaining muscle mass, improving overall health & fitness). However, I realized that I was also lacking a bit of strength. Before I could focus on leaning out, I wanted to regain some of the strength that I'd lost between Sept-Dec of 2010.  So, I chose the P90X program to help me focus on that.  I really wanted to build my strength back up and get into a more regular routine - which this rotation did all of that and more. So, in my opinion, I've accomlished my original goal 2 weeks early! I made it 6 weeks this time around, which I'm very happy with.  

P90X 6-Week Results
Overall, I'm VERY pleased with the results of the first 6 weeks of the program (but 7 calendar weeks; remember did week 5 twice). I've been so focused this week on being in a plateau that I hadn't even realized how much good progress I made. I'm proud of myself!  From a body composition point of view, here are my results: (Not bad!!)

• Lost 13.8 pounds
• Lost 5.5" overall
• Lost approx 3.2% body fat (10.88 pounds of fat!!)

Since I'm now very comfortable with my current strength level and deemed my first goal met, I've decided to switch directions. I also noticed that my body hit a plateau this week, which is also a reason why I decided to change things up a bit. I tend to change workout protocols every 6-8 weeks anyway (periodization at its finest :-) ), unless I'm doing something specific like getting ready for a show. I recognize that I struggle to follow most rotations longer than 8 weeks. I tend to get bored and like to have variety in my workout regimen.

Anyway, I know what training types/styles work for my body when it's time to start leaning out and improving endurance (muscular and cardiovascular). For me, that means a high volume, high intensity protocol that consists of circuit strength training, HIIT, and cardio intervals.  More importantly, it also means following a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.  The latter is where I've been struggling over the past couple of years, for various reasons. The difference is that now I truly feel mentally strong enough to take on this challenge.  I know that transformation is largely 80% diet and 20% training. If the primary is lacking, the latter won't make up for it.  Keep it real and keep it focused.

Strategy for the next 6-8 Weeks
It's time to get more aggressive, without overtraining (which I have a tendancy to do). My planned protocol for the next 6-8 weeks is shown below. Due to my travel schedule, I plan to do 2 weeks of high volume, high frequency (similar to below), followed by 1 week of moderate volume & frequency. Then I will repeat that for a 6 week total cycle. If I'm still feeling good, I'll finish with 2 weeks of low volume/frequency training. Again, what I'm showing below (aside from the first one, which is pervasive) are objectives for the high frequency, high volume training weeks.

• Nutrition & Hydration: CLEAN EATING spread over 5-6 meals per day with 1 Gallon water per day (minimum). Allow myself 1 off day per week (BFL style) with 1 splurge meal. Note this is not a pig out day, but a day to allow myself to eat more starchy carbohydrates; I'm also factoring in a splurge meal per week (eating out, relaxing with friends, etc.). I want to keep it reasonable with 90% compliance throughout the week. There is no need to go into pre-contest mode. Slow, steady progress with consistent eating is my focus.
• Strength Training: 3-4 Strength Circuits per week (using Supreme 90 Day and some of my other bootcamp/strength circuit workouts). Depending on the chosen workout, the duration may last between 35-70 minutes.
• Cardiovascular Training: 1-2 HIIT sessions per week, 1-2 kickboxing sessions per week, 2-3 steady state cardio sessions per week (i.e. done first thing in the moring or post-strength training. I find that 30-45 mins of incline walking works best for me here), 1-2 machine-based cardio intervals per week
• Metabolic Conditioning Training: 1 full body kettlebell/TRX workout. Since it's getting warmer, I usually enjoy doing this on Saturdays outdoors.
• Stretching: 1 long stretching session per week 

It looks like alot on paper, but it really is all about how you put it together. Yes, a few days there will be two-a-days, but some elements can be combined. For instance, HIIT followed by steady state cardio in the morning would be about an hour workout and a strength circuit or kickboxing later in the day.  It all works itself out. I'll be listening to my body, and if I feel like I'm overdoing it, then I'll move to a moderate or low volume/frequency week.  For me, it is imperative to eat properly and fuel my body, otherwise, this entire plan will be out the window. I won't have enough energy to get through it!
Time to keep on bringin' it! :-)

Repeat P90X Week 5: - Sun, 2/6-Sat, 2/12

As I mentioned, last week did not go as planned, so I've decided to repeat week #5 this week.  It's turning out much better than last week. I did have to take 2 days off due to work commitments, but I'll still finish the week out strong. Here's the recap so far:

Summary for "Week 5 Repeat"
Superbowl Sun, 2/6: P90X: Chest & Back - this was a great workout! I changed the routine quite a bit by doing weight bearing chest exercises (i.e. bench press, chest flys, etc) in place of the push-ups. I still feel sore 4 days later!
Mon, 2/7: Cathe HIIT 30/30, Treadmill (67 mins) - burned over 1000 calories from this workout. it was awesome! I was very proud of myself for finally doing the HIIT DVD. Even though I've put myself through many-a-HIIT workouts (and my clients), I was so nervous about doing this workout. It was hard as he**, but I expected it to be. I know Cathe, and she packs a major punch into her workouts. I struggled through it, and I am glad to have something to work up towards. I plan to start doing more HIIT workouts over the coming months, with more regularity.
Tues, 2/8: OFF
Wed, 2/9: OFF
Thurs, 2/10: P90X: Shoulders & Arms (this workout gets me every time! I lift as heavy as possible in the 12-15 rep range); Tracey Staehle: Cardio Kickbox Challenge; Treadmill: 100 mins Note: I broke up these workouts over the course of the entire day. My energy level was great, and I felt like I could keep going and going today!  So, I did :-). My eating today was also very good. I'm starting to pull it all together again. day by day...
Fri, 2/11: OFF
Sat, 2/12: P90X: Legs & Back (substituted KB swings and KB snatches for the pullups)

All-in-all, this was a good week! I had more days off than I'd planned for, but it all worked out anyway. As Tony Horton says, "Do your best and forget the rest"!

Week 3: P90X Recap

Well, try as I may, I found so may ways to 'do my workout later', that I wound up just taking the day off from training.  I was actually pretty sore from my workouts on Thursday & Friday. Katami really worked me hard in that bootcamp workout, as did the modifications that I made to Back & Biceps. Not to mention, for some reason my calves were really sore today!  I think it may be from wearing my Vibram Five Fingers during that bootcamp workout.  I love those things, but my feet are still getting used to them since I use them so infrequently.

Anyway, I just counted today as a rest day and will make up Legs & Back next week during recovery week. For some reason, I have a dred factor about Legs & Back. Once I get into it, I think it's okay, but I have a hard time getting motivated to do that one.

Recap Fitgirl-ATX's Week 3 Results
Sunday, 1/16: OFF
Monday, 1/17: P90X - Chest/Sh/Tri + 10 mins rowing
Tuesday, 1/18: Fitgirl's 1000 swings & 1000 Step-ups Challenge. The actual workout consisted of timed rounds. I completed 10 rounds with a total of 603 swings, 1264 step-ups plus a burn-out set. Each Timed Rounds consisted of: 2:00 KB Swings @ 16kg; 2:00 Step-ups; 2:00 rest. I gave the details of how I did this in my post from Tuesday, so I won't repeat myself here.
Wednesday, 1/19: OFF
Thursday, 1/20: 10 mins P90X+ Kenpo Cardio+ & Paul Katami Hollywood Bootcamp. I actually did the full bootcamp workout. I used 12# DB's for all weighted exercises except iron cross. I used 3# and 5# for iron cross). I love this workout!!!
Friday, 1/21: P90X: Back & Biceps, 1/2 of ARX
Saturday, 1/22: OFF

Also, I did post my Gcal workout calendar at the bottom of the blog.  I personally like to see it broken down on a monthly view.

I'm excited to start week 4.  It's recovery week. I'll use it to take a break from the P90X weight-centric workouts and will focus on cardio endurance, full-body circuits, and stretching.  I also plan to try some of the P90X+ workouts this week.  I'm looking forward to it.  I really want to increase my cardio frequency during the scheduled 'recovery' weeks as well, but I will still enjoy at least 1 full day off from training. We'll see how this goes...

P90X: Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper X

Tonight, I did Back & Biceps.  I was somewhat reluctant going into it, but I was so glad when I got into it.  However, I took the liberty of making a few changes to the workout (you know me ;-D).  For those of you who don't know, Back & Biceps basically consists of 6 blocks of exercises. Each block is sequenced as follows: pull-up variations, back exercise, and 2 bicep exercises. 

Today's Mods to Back & Biceps
I personally don't need to do many pullups from a physique perspective, as my back and shoulders are already pretty wide. I would love to train so that I can actually do an unassisted pull-up, but doing them kind of conflicts with my figure competition ambitions later this year. So, I substituted each round of pullups with kettlebell snatches and did them for the same amount of time that Tony & crew did pullups (avg 55 secs).

* Warm-up & Stretch: For the 2:00 warmup, I did 16kg kettlebell swings (0:45 2H; 0:30 1HR; 0:301HL; 0:15 2H) instead of following along with the warmup on the DVD. Then, I stretched with the crew and began my workout.
* Rounds 1 & 2: For the first 2 blocks, I used my lighter 12kg kettlebell since it's been a while since I've done snatches. I managed to get in 2 rounds of 5 snatches per side the first time. I then picked up my pace on the second block.  I did the 2 rounds of 5 snatches per side and then moved to alternating snatches. I got in 1 snatch on the left and right before time was up.
* Round 3: I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to tackle the snatches with my nemesis - my 16kg bell. Somehow, they felt AWESOME! Not to mention, I really felt the smoothness of the snatch and my whole body working together to get them done. Of course there was also a serious heart rate effect by upping the weight. This made moving directly into bent over rows 'interesting'.  Anyway, I made it through another 2 sets of 5 snatches/side.
* Round 4: After adding in the remaining back & bicep work, I was beginning to get fatigued. So, for the fourth round, I went back to my 12kg bell and did 2 sets of 5 snatches/side.
* Round 5: Coming into the home stretch, my biceps were screaming. So, I only did 1 set of 3 snatches per side with my 16kg bell on the 5th round.
* Round 6: For the final round, I wanted to try double kettlebell snatches. I was so tired, that I was on pause for a good 20 seconds into Tony & crew's pullups. I mustered the energy and strength to do 3 double snatches with my two 12kg bells. I'll have to practice them when I'm not so tired.

I enjoy the sequencing in the back & biceps workout, and my biceps really feel worked hard!
I finished my workout by doing the first 7 exercises in Ab Ripper X and then sat the rest out. I tend to avoid this DVD because it's hard as heck for me! LOL. I appreciate its breviety, but I'm just no good at it.  Anyway, I still don't think it will be one of my favorites. I'll probably try the core workout from the P90X+ next week to see if I like that any better. Otherwise, I'll just try to be more consistent about adding some type of core work from one of the many in my collection. I do tend to like Cathe's core workouts at the end of her regular DVDs as well as the Ab Circuits from STS. Anyhoo...I digress...

Great week, great workout.  I'm feeling sore, so we will see what tomorrow brings. I'm supposed to do Legs & Back...

P90X: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps

Well, today I really felt strong and brought it!  I don't know why I punked out so badly on this workout last week...well, actually I do -- I was majorly fatigued/zonked from 'female time'.  Anyway, today I redeemed myself :-D.  I felt strong and finished the whole workout. I even increased some of my weights on the harder shoulder exercises to 12 # dumbbells and still completed my high rep range.  My shoulder endurance is really awful, which is funny considering how much shoulder muscle mass I actually have. Anyway, so I was proud of myself during today's workout. I also used my TRX for all of the push-up moves. I loved the 1-arm push-ups..doing those on the TRX is really killer. 

I wrapped up with 10 minutes on the rower.

Today was a great day. 

Remember MLK....

P90X: Back & Biceps

I was feeling pretty good today, so I added on some activities to my workouts.  I did a 3 mile walk/jog prior to P90X: Back & Biceps.   I took about an hour break in between so that I wouldn't compromise my lifting.  The lifting session was great!  I think that the Back & Biceps workout moves really quickly.  I really focused on executing each rep well. I didn't really increase weight from last week, but I hope to do so in Phase 2.  It was a fun workout.

In addition to this, I also did a set of 100 swings and 5 rounds of sandbag squat variations while I was watching TV.  I punked out on the swings and used my 12kg bell. I know better - lol. I should at least be using 16kg for swings.  For the sandbag squats, my rounds were about 45 seconds and went like this: rounds 1 - 3: squat & kick; round 4 & 5: squat jumps.

I didn't do XStretch - maybe tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to next week, as it will officially mark the longest amount of time I've actually stuck with the P90X program to date :-).  My goal is to lift as heavy as possible doing high rep workouts and intense cardio.  I plan to thoroughly kick my own arce next week :-). Time to BRING IT!

P90X: Kenpo X

This morning I did Kenpo X in its entirety.  I think this one may be my favorite workout in the series. I love the stretching, and the cardio segments are alot of fun!  It moves quickly and gets the heart rate up.

I'll try to squeeze in a cardio segment this afternoon at the apartment complex gym.  I'm retaining alot of water, so I'll be happy when that finally dissipates in a couple of days.  My energy level is back up and higher today than it has been all week.  So, that rest did me good :-)

Until later folks...

P90X: Legs & Back

Today was Legs & Back. It's been so freezing (which means my garage is also an icebox and can't get warm with my heaters), that I had to bring my workout inside to the living room. I'm so glad that I did and didn't make an excuse to skip the workout. I completed the whole thing. I think next week I'm going to bump up my weights on the weighted leg exercises now that I'm familiar with them all.  I did variations of the TRX row for the back pull-up exercises. I would run into the garage, get that set in and come back into the warmth of the living room to continue the workout.

I also did 5 minutes of core work using one of my Tracie Long DVDs.

All in all, it was a great workout. I was starving afterwards and inhaled a large salad when it was all said and done with. 

Even though I took 2 days off this week, I will still be able to get in all of the planned P90X workouts this week. I just have to change things around slightly.

Hasta manana....

P90X: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

This morning I did the first 20 mins of Chest, Shoulders and Triceps.  I'm really fatigued today and don't have much of an appetite.  I suspect this lethargic feeling will continue for most of the week (the joys of being a girl).  Anyway, I'm still going to try to finish this workout tonight and get in some cardio.  I'm feeling like pooh, so if I do get cardio in, it will probably be something lower on the intensity scale like treadmill walking.  Mentally, I want to gut it out with lots of swings and metabolic circuits, but I'm trying to do my best and listen to my body....

P90X: Core Synergistics

I was feeling pretty tired today...moreso lazy than anything else
But, I still made it through my scheduled P90X workout.
I did Core Synergistics.  Granted, it was partly half-hearted, but I did it.
I intended to do another cardio interval session on the elliptical or rowing machine, but the freezing temperatures in my garage gym made me less than enthusiastic to stay in there. I could've gone to walk on the treadmill or something at the apartment gym, so I'm really just making excuses...LOL.

Anyway, looking forward to week 2!!!

P90X Rotation: Week 1 Results

I started a rotation on Sunday, Jan 2. So far, so good...but boy, am I sore (let's me know that I'm training right)! I'm focusing more on the 12-15 rep range, as I have enough muscle mass and don't particularly need to add more at this stage. I'm doing a self-designed doubles rotation.  Anyone who knows me knows that morning workouts are a challenge for me. However, this time around, I'm not stressing about getting them done early in the morning, and have found a time slot that works for me. I've been feeling really good about getting a major part of my workout done in the morning.  The evening workout also gives me something to look forward to, particularly since they are usually some form of short cardio. 

Here are my P90X Week 1 Results:

Sun, 1/2/11:
AM - P90X: Core Synergistics
PM - Interval Cardio (15 mins on elliptical, 16 mins on treadmill)

Mon, 1/3/11:
AM - P90X: Ch, Sh, Tri (note: I used my TRX for many of the push-up movements...I loved it!)
PM - Treadmill incline walking (31 mins)

Tues, 1/4/11:
AM - P90X: Legs & Back (note: I used my TRX to do variations of rows for back movements....Loved it!!)
PM - Katami Ab Lab (10 mins), 15 mins elliptical, 15 mins spinner bike

Wed, 1/5/11:
AM - Art of Strength Fire Power (Rounds 1-4, General Alarm) - note: I had to go much lighter than usual..My triceps, shoulders, and back are sore. I used double 9kg kettlebells for this workout. I usually use 12kg and 16kg for this workout.
PM - 3 mile walk
I had planned to do YogaX today, but didn't get to it.

Thurs, 1/6/11:
AM - 1.5 mile walk
PM - did half of P90X: Kenpo X, which I loved! I then did a 3 mile brisk walk. I'd originally planned to do my 2nd leg workout today along with Kenpo X.  However, the weather was so nice that I couldn't resist going outside and taking advantage of the sunshine and mild temperatures.  I also took 2 breaks during the work day to take mini walk breaks.
I felt great today.  I thought about doing another workout  before bed, but I felt it best to rest today.

Fri, 1/7/11:
AM - P90X: Back & Biceps (fun workout! - I'm going to be so sore tomorrow - LOL) and core section of Susan Chung's POW Rapid Fire DVD. Now, let's see if I can squeeze in a brisk walk and a short leg workout later this evening...
Planned PM - Cathe STS Legs, Cathe Core Max 2 (stability ball) moved ab workout to the morning, tacked on to the end of back & biceps
Actual PM - "Fitgirl's 30-Minute Fat Scorcher Workout"
Complete as many rounds as possible of 2:00 elliptical; 1:00 KB swings; and 1:00 TRX Squats in 30 minutes.

• Wheww this was definitely a scorcher! I completed 5 and 1/3 rounds in 30 mins.  I liked this workout, and it doubled for cardio and legs :-)!
• KB Swings: I started off the first 2 rounds with 12kg kettlebell swings, and then moved to 16kg for rounds 3-5. Once I made that adjustment, my heartrate went through the roof.
• TRX squats: I mixed them up with jump squats, alternating side squats with hops, and traditional TRX squats.   

Sat, 1/8/11:
Despite some unplanned time delays, I still managed to get my workouts in for today! 
PM: 10 min brisk walk + 35 mins interval cardio on elliptical (pushed hard!) + 15 mins P90X: X Stretch
Before Bed: Finished P90X: X Stretch workout

All-in-all, I am very pleased with how this week turned out.  I also dropped 7.2 pounds, which is fantastic. My diet started off a bit imbalanced, but once I fully started eating clean, the proper amounts, and fixed my meal timing, things all settled into place.  I'm following the typical pre-contest diet of primarily protein, fibrous carbs, and good fats.  We will see if progress continues moving forward. I'm trying not to celebrate prematurely. I also do not want to become a slave to the scale.  I'm considering not weighing in again until this first 4-week phase of P90X is over.
I'm looking forward to next week to see how the workouts feel the 2nd time through.  I'll work on my schedule and get it posted.

Cheers!

Starting P90X Rotation

I've tried numerous P90X rotations over the years, and the longest I've lasted is 2 weeks. I really do enjoy the workouts, though. YogaX is by far the most difficult for me due to the time commitment. I have alot of great dvds in my exercise library, and I plan to use them more consistently. So, I'm re-committing to doing a p90x (doubles) rotation. i think that for me this will be the best of both worlds. I'll follow the core P90x program, but will still add in some other things to keep progressing with multiple goals. For instance, i'm adding in a 2nd day of legs/week, 1 kettlebell workout per week, and 1 full body circuit. I'm also going to incorporate P90X+ workouts when i get bored/lose focus/need a change from the core program dvds. I'm actually pretty pumped up about it!