Friday, November 27, 2009

Round 2- Days 76-90, P90X+ Days 1-4

It's been a while... I know. I'm such a slacker! Luckily, I'm not as big of a slacker when it comes to actually doing P90X. And I finally finished round 2! It was somewhat difficult to get motivated towards the end because I got a little bored, but it was worth it. I always stick to what I start. I combined the program with dance classes three days a week and walking around Rexburg everyday. I'm exercising more than I ever have in my life, and it feels absolutely wonderful.

I've also stuck to Weight Watchers during my term here at school. I was really terrified of what would happen, but luckily I've been able to lose a few pounds while I've been here. That's all I really wanted- losing weight would have been more than I could have asked for. With such a crazy lifestyle, I would have been grateful with just maintaining the weight that I lost this summer.

I started P90X+ this week and have been consistent with it all week! It's super intense- I feel like I do that first week of P90X. Crazy exhausted, can barely walk around my apartment, but I feel GREAT. So accomplished! Having the new challenge is exciting! It's just what I needed. I really needed the change to get me going at my best again. It's a great confidence booster- I feel like I'm accomplishing something again. I started this whole P90X journey back in April, and looking back, I never would have dreamed that I could do something like this. It's truly amazing what the human body is capable of and what you can do when you commit to something fully.

Total Body + was extremely intense... I could barely do the entire video! The workouts for + are shorter (roughly 40 mins each) but there's a reason- any longer than that and no one would be able to handle it! Tony just blows through each set and each move so quickly... you really need to have good cardio vascular strength and good endurance to keep up.

Intervals + was the same way. It's comparable to Plyometrics, but the theory behind it is a little different. Tony blasts you through two sets of interval work, and each move you do at three levels of intensity. I found this to be more difficult than Plyo, even though the workouts were shorter and I (seemingly) wasn't exterting as much energy as consistently. What I found to be the truth, however, was that when the third level of intensity came around- the hardest one- I could really bring it, and I ended up burning myself out much quicker and much harder than ever before. I remember that I had to take lots of breaks during my first attempt at Plyo, and while I did have to take an extra break during Intervals, it was only one extra break instead of six. I can't believe how much I've improved!

Kenpo Cardio + was yesterday, and it was FANTASTIC! Probably one of my favorite videos in the X and the + series. It really blows through the moves, and there's lots more variety. I was working my butt off, but I barely noticed because of how much FUN I was having! I can't wait to do it next week.

Upper Body + was today (Thanksgiving- yes, I still worked out on a holiday!) and while it's far from being one of my favorites, I enjoyed the challenge. I especially like Spider-Man push-ups. They're so much fun! I don't, however, have the Power Stands that Tony Recommends, so one of the push-up moves was somewhat difficult. Other than that, they're not really necessary unless you need the extra challenge. Tony does plug the Bow-Flex weights a lot in these workouts. Somewhat annoying, but I've always wanted some anyways! I miss the good old fashioned P90X upper body workouts- I felt like I had accomplished more in those. I only used 8's and 10's today for Upper Body + though. I think upping my weight next week might change my mind on that.

In the + workouts, just as a side note, it's difficult to modify the moves if needed, especially if you're still more comfortable doing push-ups on your knees like me. (But who said working out was supposed to be about comfort?) There really isn't the existence of the "8-10" and "12-15" rules, either. It's basically just max reps on everything, which seems to me the goal here is more about tone than about gaining muscles mass. Not bad, just a different approach. We'll see how much I like it as time progresses.

All in all, I really enjoy +. It's going well so far! Can't wait to totally smash this one, too!

1 comment:

  1. Hey lady,

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    Hope P90X is going well.

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