Day 46

Another day of procrastination means I left my Legs and Back routine until late in the afternoon, right before dinner actually. Still, I got it done and pushed play and had an intense workout. Upped almost all of my pullups this time which is really great! Didn't get ARX in but I plan on doing it first thing in the morning before Jiu-Jitsu.

I've decided my diet is going to suffer every Friday night. I just can't resist homemade pizza on Fridays so I'm giving myself one cheat meal a week. To even it out I tried to eat less carbs earlier in the day and as you can tell I've stayed up later as well, so hopefully the impact wont be too harsh.

Gotta crash though if I want to get to Jiu-Jitsu in the morning.

Bring it every day!

Grant

Day 45

Half way done!

I was lazy all day and decided to put off Yoga until about 9:45pm, which is why I'm still up at 12:30. I missed yoga last week so I was a little bit out of practice but it still went well. I really enjoy everything after the moving asanas and even those feel good because you've gotta work hard. Actually stuck with most of the yoga belly 7 this time too, though the last one is still super hard.

Two more days and I'm done with the first part of phase 2 and then on Monday I move into my second recovery week! Pretty excited to get next week done and start phase 3 after that.

Time to get some sleep though, Legs and Back are tomorrow and that is probably the hardest workout in the program!

Keep bringing it!

Day 44

Last day of Biceps and Back for phase 2 done! It went well
today, got a good workout and improved in a few areas.
Having to screw weight on and off the dumbbells still sucks
though.

Did ARX later in the afternoon again. I think I'm starting
to like this set up better. It gives me more energy to
power through ARX and get all the reps in with minimal
pausing.

Another good day on the diet too, cheese and egg scramble
for breakfast, tuna for lunch, and shrimp scampi for
dinner. Still within my food goals too!

Ready for Yoga tomorrow and a great nights sleep tonight.

Keep up the hard work everyone!

Day 43

Another day is in the books! Had plyometrics today and
because I had to go get my motorcycle license this morning,
plyo ended up happening in the afternoon. Although I was
sweating bullets and breathing heavy, I was able to keep up
with the routine better than ever, with less pauses and
more reps!

Had Jiu-Jitsu about 45 min after plyo which went pretty
well. I think all this P90X I've been doing has increased
my endurance a lot and now I'm coasting through Jits.

Diet was good today, although a little low on protein. I'm
not too worried about that though because it was a cardio
day not a weight training day.

I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight, that's for sure.

Keep bringing it! If you aren't doing P90X, I suggest
looking into it ASAP!

Day 42

Alright, I admit it, I suck at maintaining a blog.

It's been a week since my last post and the end of that
week did not go well for P90X. Thursday and Friday consisted
of two full days of MSF class leaving me tired as hell and
forcing me to eat out for lunch. Saturday was a bust too so
the week ended poorly over all.

Back at it again today though, full force! Today was the
chest, triceps, and back routine. I powered through it,
pausing only to add weights to the crappy adjustable
free weights we have at home. Did ARX later in the day,
which I recommend to anyone else doing P90X. Doing ARX at a
later time in the day makes the routine fly by and gives
you more energy to get through ARX.

Diet is back on track and I'm hopeful that the rest of the
week goes well.

Day 35

Another Monday is here and it was a damn busy day too. Got Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps done this morning but didn't feel great about my performance. I think the bad diet and missed Kenpo over the weekend payed a toll on me and my strength was down today. Got ARX done later in the day as well because I just didn't feel like I could do it after CST this morning.

One awesome benefit of being home for the summer is the food I get to eat. Finally was able to cook with more than a few ingredients and I'm confident I can stay on track with the diet part for the remainder of the program.

Quick food rundown:
Breakfast: Mozzarella cheese scramble with a whole wheat bagel.
Lunch: Grilled chicken sandwich with tomato, lettuce, avocado, onion, and light mayo on whole wheat bread.
Dinner: P90X Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry.

Snacks like usual. It was a tasty day.

Took some pics of my food today it looked so good. I might share them on the blog tomorrow.

Push harder every day!

Day's 31 - 34

A little behind so here is a quick update on Thursday,
Friday and Saturday:

Thursday was Yoga X and I would be lying if I said I wasn't
starting to enjoy yoga. I improvised a way to block the
time on the screen and it has really helped me not feel
overwhelmed by the 90 min of exercise. Yoga belly 7 at the
end is still really hard to keep up with and my core is
always burning after.

Friday I had Legs and Back. I brought some of my things
back to the parents house for the summer and did the
workout there. Because of this I was able to do the routine
the way it was designed and I pushed super hard through all
the exercises. Wow! What an intense workout it was! It's
Sunday evening and I'm still feeling it, especially in my
glutes lol.

Friday night was the last night in Boulder for the year so
I went out and partied with my roommates. Yep, I drank beer
and played beer pong and ended the night with some nasty
burrito, but you only live once right?

I spent 6 hours on Saturday moving out and cleaning the
apartment and was dead tired when I got home so I skipped
Kenpo X. On top of that, I have an annoying muscle pain the
middle of my chest (probably from moving out) so I want to
let it rest for Monday's Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps.

Anyway, there's a quick update of what's been going on the
last few days. Going to get everything back on track
tomorrow and start my 6th week of P90X!

Day 31

Yesterday (Wednesday 5/5 Happy Cinco De Mayo!) was my first installment of Back and Biceps followed by Ab Ripper X. Now THIS is a hard workout. I started out strong, busting out 10 wide front pullups (a new record for me) and working the biceps good. By the end of the workout I felt like a complete wimp in the gym when I could barley put up 8 curls of 20lb dumbbells.

I know this was an effective workout because yesterday night my back was sore as its ever been. Today my biceps feel like they are going to fall off and my back is STILL pretty damn sore. I've still got yoga to do tonight as well!

Check out myfitnesspal.com for tracking calories. I was turned onto this by the beachbody forums and it's pretty cool. You can customize the % of carbs, fat, and protein you want to take in. So for me, on phase 2 of P90X, I set it to 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat.

That's it for now, expect another post tonight after yoga and dinner.

Do your best and forget the rest!

Day 30

Plyometrics are back again today! It's been two weeks time
(1 recovery week) since I've done Plyometrics and man it
was hard! I decided to do it before breakfast which I don't
plan on doing again. Really felt the burn today in addition
to being sore from Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps yesterday.
I did feel great the rest of the day though and I will
definitely sleep well tonight!

Here's another food tip for breakfast:

Buy some frozen berries and throw about a 1/4 cup into your
1/2 cup of oatmeal (thaw them a little first). It tastes
great and is good for you at the same time.

Bringin it everyday!

Biceps and Back tomorrow followed by Ab Ripper X, CAN'T
WAIT!

Day 29

Hey!

So I've felt way to busy the last few weeks to update this blog but now that finals are here I have a bit more free time to really get on this!

Last week was the recovery portion of first phase of P90X. It looked something like this: Monday - Yoga X; Tuesday - Core Synergistics; Wednesday - Kenpo X; Thursday - X Stretch; Friday - Core Synergistics; Saturday - Yoga X; Sunday - Rest day.

It was a nice recovery week and the new exercise, Core Synergistics, was fun although I don't have much room to do some of the exercises.

Alright so here we are, week 5, the start of phase 2. Let the muscle confusion do its job!

Today was a new workout, Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. I really enjoyed this workout but underestimated what it would take out of me. Instead of my goal of 12 reps, I was only able to crank out 8-10 on some exercises. Already feeling the sore muscles so I know today was a good workout.

I also hopped on the scale today and weighed in at 161lbs! This is roughly 9lbs less than when I started! Check the link at the end of this post to see my 28 day, before and after pictures.

I'm going to stop posting all my meals but I think I'll throw up some recipes I come up with from time to time.

For example:

Green Bell Pepper, Tomato, Mushroom, and Turkey Scramble.

-Slice up 2 Peppers and use 1/3rd for the scramble.

-1/3rd of a can of diced tomatoes

-2oz (est.) Mushrooms

-3oz Turkey sliced up

-6 Egg whites

-Saute the peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and turkey in a frying pan with olive oil. Next add the egg whites. Cover frying pan so it will cook better. Add cheese and eat.

I was experimenting with this this morning and accidentally burned the scramble a little. Hopefully it will go better next time. Although under 400 calories, this meal takes a lot of space so you need a decent sized frying pan.

See you tomorrow! Don't forget to BRING IT!

28 Days Before and After pics: http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/zuxzux/P90X/

Day 8

Breakfast: Spinach and Turkey Omelet (6 egg whites, 3oz turkey, 2 cups spinach, 2oz of cheese)

Snack 1: Protein shake, 1/2 Protein bar (had the protein shake because it was right after my workout)

Lunch: Tuna sandwich, carrots, and a banana (tuna, Smart Balance Omega Plus mayo, 2 slices of whole wheat bread)

Snack 2: Celery with peanut butter

Dinner: Half of a chipotle size burrito (rice, shredded beef, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and sour cream)

Snack 3: 1oz Almonds and 1oz of raisins

-Had a third snack because I didn't eat a big dinner

P90X Workout (Chest and Back):

Week 2 is the same as week one so there's no need to go into a lot of detail. Push-ups, pull-ups, and a few lifts. I improved a little bit over last week in the second round, being able to force out one or two extra reps on most exercises. For some reason I wasn't able to do the same amount of reps on the wide push-ups (15 reps) in the first round so my goal for next week is to do more than I did the first week (20 reps). Otherwise I was satisfied with today's workout.

Ab Ripper X:

Still hard as the last three ab ripper x workouts. The exercises that work the legs are still really hard to keep up with because it really burns in the quads.

Notes:

Water is your friend, be sure to stay hydrated before, during, and after the workout and throughout the day.

I bought some protein powder at king soopers for $15.00 over the weekend by Body Fortress. It's strawberry flavor and I must say, it's one of the tastiest protein shakes I've ever had. It's got 26g of protein in one scoop along with small amounts of things like creatine. If anything its a great bang for the buck IMO.

Day 7

Same thing here as yesterday, woke up late and just made sure to eat healthy.

There is no "required" workout on day 7 but there is a Stretch X workout for those who wish to do it. I decided to take Sunday off and rest because the first week took a lot out of my body. Next week I plan to give the stretch workout a shot but for now I'm going to relax and get ready for the start of week 2.

Day 6

So its the weekend and I went out last night and got up late so I didn't really keep track of my diet today. I did however make sure to stick to healthy food and ate similar to how I have been.

P90X Workout (Kenpo X):

Kenpo X is based (loosely) on Kenpo Karate. Being someone who has done kickboxing in a real gym with a trainer, I found this to be a really annoying workout. The moves are adapted to be more cardio based and it definitely got my heart rate up. I decided to incorporate my kickboxing knowledge into the workout which made it better for me personally. Altogether it was a good way to end the first week of P90X!

Day 5

Breakfast: Cup of Oatmeal with 1 banana sliced

Snack 1: 1/2 Protein bar

Lunch: Tuna sandwich, carrots, and a protein shake (tuna, Smart Balance Omega Plus mayo, 2 slices of whole wheat bread)

Snack 2: 1oz cheese

Dinner: King soopers baked chicken, 2oz cheese, and corn (a little more than half of an 8 piece order of chicken)

P90X Workout (Legs and Back):

This was not an easy workout for the legs, which is reall the main focus of this workout. Because I do my my workouts at the gym I had to split this excercise up. I did some of the more "interesting" leg workouts at home because, honestly, it would be embarassing to do them at the gym (lol). I did the 9 "interesting" leg workouts at home first then split up the rest of the exercises for the gym, making sure to alternate between back and leg workouts. The gym portion of the workout went well, it's a mix of leg workouts and the same pull-ups from day 1.

Ab Ripper X:

Today last day of ab ripper x for the week and it was just as hard as the first two. Nothing much to go over on this that I haven't already covered. Gotta push through the burn and BRING IT!

Day 4

Breakfast: 1 cup Oatmeal with raisins and a protein shake

Snack 1: 1/2 Protein bar

Lunch: Salad (4 cups loose spinach, 1 can of tuna, 3oz of turkey meat, 2oz cheese, and some fat free ranch dressing)

Snack 2: 8oz Cottage Cheese

Dinner: Hamburger patty with 1oz cheese and broccoli

P90X Workout (Yoga X):

Got up at 6:45am this morning so I could get yoga in before class. The yoga workout is about an hour and a half long, which is about half an hour longer than any of the others. On top of that, it is a non-stop workout. That means there are no "scheduled" water breaks etc., that's why there's a pause button though. Yoga was not easy by any means. Keeping up with the first part of the workout was tough. You start everything in the first part off the ground and move your body upwards into various poses, such as: Runners pose, warrior one, two, and three, and a bunch of others. The second part focuses on balance and its less physically demanding (though not too much less). It gets very difficult to maintain balance in some of the poses. From here it moves to the floor which is a bit of a break but there are some challenging poses in this as well, specifically "the crane" pose which I had to skip. Almost done. The final section focuses on your core and, having done ab ripper x yesterday, I could feel the burn. A few minutes of cool down after and yoga x was in the bag.I did this before breakfast again but next time I think I might eat a small snack before because an hour and a half of yoga on an empty stomach doesn't feel that great when you're done.

Day 3

Breakfast: Spinach and Turkey Omelette (6 egg whites, 3oz turkey, 2 cups spinach, 2oz of

cheese)

Snack 1: 1/2 Protein bar

Lunch: Turkey sandwich and carrots (4oz/slices turkey, 1 slice whole wheat bread, Smart Balance Omega Plus mayo, and mustard)

Snack 2: Banana and ants on a log (1 celery stalk, 1-2oz peanut butter, top with raisins)

Dinner: Turkey wrap and broccoli (1 whole wheat tortilla, 1oz shredded cheese, frozen turkey breast (guess about 5oz) grilled and seasoned, mustard, and hot sauce)

P90X Workout (Shoulders and Arms):

Day 3 was the most "fun" workout so far. Like it says above, it focuses on the shoulders, biceps, and triceps. There are 15 exercises in total, which are done in groups of three, and sets of two. Thanks to the chest and back workout on day 1 I was still pretty sore going into day 3. However, because of the way the program is designed, the majority of the soreness was in the chest and back. Like I said earlier, I really enjoyed this workout. It's simple lifting designed to hit specific muscles, and it works. Right now my entire upper body is sore but it feels good.

Ab Ripper X:

Yep, its back again for day 3! This time I really paced myself and used the pause button when I needed it. I managed to complete most of the exercises in ab ripper x although it took me almost twice as long (25-30min. for the mathematically impaired) to complete the 15 min. workout. Now, my core was already sore going into day 3 but after ab ripper x today, I now know the true meaning of sore. My hip flexors in particular feel like they've been torn right off. Although slightly moment limiting, its the good kind of sore, the kind that I know is going to give me good results.

Looking forward to a bit of a break with Yoga X in the morning. Keep bringin it!

Day 2 Recap

Breakfast: Homemade Smoothie (recipe at the end of this post)

Snack 1: 1/2 Protein Bar (Big 100)

Lunch: Burrito bowl (Barbacoa, pinto beans, lettuce, cheese, tomato, and black olives)

Snack 2: 8oz Cottage Cheese

Dinner: Two 80/20 Hamburger patties, 1oz cheese, and peas and carrots (about a cup)

P90X Workout (Plyometrics):

I got up early and did this workout before breakfast so I could make it to class on time and... wow! I thought day 1 was hard but the plyometrics workout was a beast! For anyone not familiar with plyometrics, it's basically "jump-training." Check out the wiki page for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyometrics. Like all the workouts in this program, it was about an hour long with the warming up and stretching. By the end of the workout I was struggling but I managed to complete all the sets, although I definitely struggled towards the end. They do show how to do all the exercises with low impact if you need it, which I thought was pretty cool.

Homemade Smoothie recipe:

1% Milk - 1 cup

Protein Powder - 1 scoop

Frozen Strawberries - ~1 cup

Spinach - ~2 cups loose

6 or 7 Ice cubes

Day 1 Recap

Its Day 3 of P90X and because I've been busy the last 2 days, I'm going to recap here.

Lets start with the nutrition part of this program which I have heard is very hard to stick to. Luckily for me, for the last 2-3 months I've been working on the Abs Diet (decent nutrition program but slow slow results). Thanks to the Abs Diet my nutrition was already pretty good and well scheduled. With that being said, I love how well set up the P90X nutrition program is and how well it's explained. It tells you exactly how many servings of protein, carbs, fat, etc. to eat in a day. With a little bit of quick tracking before meals I've found it really easy to stay on track with this diet. *I am not taking the P90X supplements because they are too expensive and I don't really think they are necessary.*

For the purpose of being helpful to anyone else who starts this program, I will add my diet into each days post for at least the first week or two.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Spinach and Turkey Omelette (6 egg whites, 3oz turkey, 2 cups spinach, 2oz of cheese)

Snack 1: 1/2 Protein bar (Big 100, half is plenty for a snack)

Lunch: Tuna sandwich, carrots, and a banana (tuna, Smart Balance Omega Plus mayo, 2 slices of whole wheat bread)

Snack 2: 1oz Almonds

Dinner: Frozen Turkey Breast (guess about 5oz) grilled and seasoned, frozen peas and carrots (about a cup).

DRINK WATER all day!

P90X Workout (Chest and Back):

I went into this expecting it to be hard, and it was. The majority of this workout revolves around push-ups and pull-ups. There are 12 exercises in the chest and back workout, which you do twice, in the ~60 min. it takes to complete. Part 1 of the workout went well, I was doing 15-20 push-ups and about 8 pull-ups per set. Part 2 however, was not quite as easy. I was lucky to get 10-15 reps on the push-ups and only about did about 3 pull-ups each set. Because I've been lifting weights, the lifting exercises were fairly easy but, believe me, I felt the burn.

Ab Ripper X:

Not much to say about this other than... holy shit! This is by far the most intense ab workout I've ever done. I tried my best to keep up with the DVD but it is definitely a struggle. My legs held me back the most during ab ripper x because a bunch of the exercises require you to elevate and move your legs.

Although it was definitely a hard day, I really like the program so far. I'll post my Day 2 and Day 3 (today) reviews later today. I would also like to point out that right now, about 10 min. before I start Day 3: Shoulders and Arms, I am STILL pretty damn sore from Day 1 and 2.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to BRING IT!

Intro to the blog

Alright everyone, I started the P90X workout/nutrition program on Monday (April 5th) and I will be blogging about it here. My goal is to: A. Give myself a bit of motivation by having a blog to maintain surrounding P90X; B. Highlight and show the results of the P90X program for anyone interested in the program.

I don't expect many people to read this but, I plan to make a vlog on youtube to go along with the blog, so you can just watch too/instead.

Grant