90 Day Transformations

Shoulders and Arms Today..

I just started my second P90X Heavy Phase this week and I got a great idea from another P90X blogger - Mobilis in Mobili.  I don't know why it hasn't occurred to many other P90X bloggers to do this, but posting up your weights and reps is a pretty cool idea (maybe they have and I'm just a slacker, who knows?). 

Anyway, here are my stats from today's workout, Shoulders and Arms:

Alternating Shoulder Presses
Set one - 14 reps, 30#
Set two - 8 reps, 30#

In & Out Biceps Curls
Set one - 16 reps, 25#
Set two - 16 reps, 25#

Two-arm Triceps Kickbacks
Set one - 15 reps, 25#
Set two - 8 reps, 25#

Deep Swimmer's Press
Set one - 8 reps, 30#
Set two - 6 reps, 30#

Full Supination Concentration Curls
Set one - 6 reps, 30#
Set two - 3/4 reps, 25#/30# (started with 25#'s and moved up to 30#'s)

Chair Dips
Set one - 15 reps, 40# vest
Set two - 12 reps, 40# vest

Upright Rows
Set one - 10 reps, 30#
Set two - 7.5 reps, 30#

Static Arm Curls
Set one - 16 reps, 25#
Set two - 16 reps, 25#

Flip-Grip Twist Kickbacks
Set one - 12 reps, 15#
Set two - 15 reps, 15#

Two-Angle Shoulder Flyes
Set one - 16 reps, 15#
Set two - 16 reps, 10#

Crouching Cohen Curls
Set one - 2/6 reps, 25#/15# (hit a wall and had to drop to 15#)
Set two - 9.5 reps, 15#

Lying-Down Triceps Extensions
Set one - 10/4 reps, 25#
Set two - 7.5/4 reps, 25#
On this last exercise, I do reps to positive failure, which means I can't extend the weight up one more time no matter how hard I try.  Then I do reps to negative failure, which means that I lower the weight under control and then press up the dumbbells and then lower them again.  I repeat this until I can't lower them under control any more (they fall out of control).  (The press up portion of the rep looks just like a close-grip bench press - the tricep is no longer isolated and is seriously assisted by the chest).

In this phase I'm skipping most of the bonus rounds because I'm working on mass and not muscle endurance or cardio.  I also try to do negative reps as much as possible but since this is the first week after the recovery week from the previous Heavy Phase.  Next week I will start forcing negative reps until I puke.  I'm still kind of tweaking the program a little bit for heavier work so I'm trying to decide how to modify the Static Arm Curls and other sets where he mandates 16 reps.  All of the above sets were done to complete positive failure - the weight I use for my sets of Static Arm Curls is the heaviest weight I can possibly use and still get the full 16 in.  Today, I pretty much fell apart right at 16 reps (I was losing my static arm and my curling arm was SCREAMING - it was awesome).  Also, I'm not sure that kickbacks are a very useful exercise in this phase because they seem to be more for toning and not for mass-building.  I could be wrong about that, but it's hard to use much weight with them and still keep decent form.  The weight vest on the dips makes it very hard to press that last rep up.  I was doing regular chair dips with a leg raise up in the 40's during round one of P90X. 

Incidentally, on the Chest and Back routine, I have been using the vest with about 20#'s in it and it makes it very hard to do more than about 15 or so regular pushups in the first set.  It goes downhill from there, of course.  But a couple of weeks ago I did the first half of the routine with the vest and the second half without the vest, just to see what would happen.  It makes a big difference and I will be curious to see how many pushups I can squeeze out when I start the regular phase of P90X at the end of the month.

So, after I finish this Heavy Phase, my next phase will be a regular phase of P90X, complete with all the ab rippers and no vest.  I will use that phase to give my muscles a bit of a break from doing heavy weights and low reps. 

One note about the vest and my "leveling the playing field" paradigm:  it's not really the same because when I was 205, I was carrying that extra weight in my legs, my arms, my belly, even my face.  The vest concentrates it on my chest and back.  Exercises like pullups shouldn't be much different (although I was already skinny when I started P90X), but pushups and dips are definitely more challenging, at least from a balance point of view.  Again, awesome.

Proceed.

One More Day

I know it's been awhile since I last posted and I am coming down to the last day of P90X.  I am taking the morning off tomorrow to do my last little pre-photo workout and finish up my final P90X Round One entry so stay tuned!

Ab Ripper Update; Houston

I think I spoke too soon on the Fifer Scissors.  When I got to them in my next workout after I had said I couldn't make it all the way through them without a pause, I made a concentrated effort to push through and do them all without a break.  

And I did 'em all.

I told myself that the only way I was taking a break was if the muscles failed.  If it just burned like crazy I was going to keep going.  Keep in mind that when I say "break," what I mean is a brief pause just long enough for the lactic acid burn to fade a little bit.  I am usually right back in it maybe 2 or 3 reps behind.  But not any more.  Now that I have done them all the way through, my pride won't let me take breaks on them again.  We'll see what happens..

Also, on a very much related note I noticed in the Yoga Belly Seven that I don't turn to mush when we do the scissors there, either.  I hadn't even been paying attention.  It just seemed like one week I was trembling and shaking trying to keep my leg up and then next week I breezed right through.  I honestly have no idea how long ago this transformation occurred.  The only thing I still can't do in Yoga are those damn half moons and the stuff that comes right after them.  I can even hold Crane for a few seconds before landing on my head.

Welp, I'm all set up in my new hotel room, which looks exactly like my old hotel room, except the view out the window has changed (I'm looking at a parking garage instead of a parking lot).  I managed to get a ground floor room.  Ever since I started P90 and P90X, I have tried to get a ground floor room so I don't bug the downstairs people with all my crazy plyo.  Looks like I'm going to be pretty busy on this one, but I still have command over my schedule so I take care of me first and work comes second.  I think if I had to guess how long I will be here, I would say probably six weeks up to maybe three months - that will actually be perfect because I can almost fit another round of P90X in before I leave!  I think after that I will want to try something different..  P90X+?  

Status Update..

I just found out a couple of hours ago that I am to deploy to Houston to work NFIP claims for Allstate.  

So time to pack up the dumb bells and the yoga blocks and hit the road.  Er, wait - I am already on the road.  New town, new hotel.  I feel like a rock star.

Rock and roll.  

"You can look up in upward dog. I look forward."

I'm on Week 11.  I thought I only had a week after this but there is actually 13 weeks in P90X.  So I have one more week of regular workin' out after this week and then the final Recovery Week. 

For some reason I got my days mixed up - I did my Wednesday workout on Monday.  How I could do that I have no idea.  But I did.  Not to worry, however, I don't think it will ruin my current round of P90X.  It is muscle confusion, after all.  

I am almost strong enough to complete Ab Ripper X all the way through without pausing AND with proper form:

1. In and outs - easy, I'm even putting my arms in the air
2. Bicycles (forward and back) - no problem
3. Crunchy Frog - like pie 
4. Wide-leg situps - still doing the wide leg variety, but they are strong.  Probably going to try and switch to crossed-leg situps this week and see how I do 
5. Fifer Scissors - this exercise can go straight to hell, as far as I am concerned.  I can make it to about 15, then I have to take about a 5 second break.  Then I get up to about 21, then have to take another break.  Then I barely make it to 25, cursing all the way.  If I let my down leg rest on the floor while I do it (which I never ever do except maybe twice) I can make it all the way through.  These are hard and I hate them.   
6. Hip rock and raise - I used to think this exercise was too easy and wondered why it was in the program.  Then I started doing them with correct form.  I can make it all the way through them, but there is a satisfying burn in my abs. 
7. Pulse-ups - these kick my butt, too.  They are almost as bad as the Fifer Scissors, but I can make it all the way through without pausing.  Keeping my legs straight is a challenge. 
8. Roll-up/V-up combo - Make no mistake, Ab Ripper X isn't about just being able to get the reps in, no sir.  Some of these exercises require serious abdominal strength to complete.  This exercise, along with oblique v-up's and the leg climb, when done properly, are HARD.  Last night I was finally able to complete the roll-up/v-up combos with a full v-up.  That's right, lower back off the ground and hands touching feet.  
9. Oblique v-up - despite my success at the roll-up/v-up, I still can't get my shoulder off the ground on the obliques.  To back up a little, I found that I had to modify this ab exercise so that I could start building enough strength to be able to do it correctly.  Instead of raising my upper body off of the mat, I just concentrate on getting my legs up as high as possible; I still necessarily have to do a small oblique crunch with my upper body so there is some movement up there.  I am able to finish all 25, finally, doing this modified version and my goal over the next weeks is to start getting my shoulders off the mat.   
10. Leg climb - when I first started doing this exercise in the beginning, I did the easier version where my lower leg is straight out and I kinda half climbed my leg and half pulled my leg to me so I could touch my foot.  These days I have my lower leg bent and I concentrate on getting my lower back off the floor.  I even start the set with a few no-grabs and my goal with this one is to do all 25 with lower leg bent and no grabs at all except hands to toes.
11. Mason twist - when I first started Ab Ripper X, I could do maybe 8 of these without crashing.  They are hard!  You have to keep your feet off the ground the entire time and rotate your upper body side to side so you can touch the knuckles of your clasped fingers to the ground on either side of your hips.  Fast.  I am up to about 32 before I have to take a short break.  I think they do 50 in the video but I am concentrating so much on pushing my number higher that I have never really paid attention to what they are doing.     

So there you have it:  getting so close to being able to crush Ab Ripper X. 

I'm still very busy right now and my status is up in the air at the moment.  I anticipate that I will be heading to the coast to work on hurricane Ike in some capacity, but that is not yet set in stone.  We'll see.  

But the one thing that is for certain is that I will continue working out no matter where I am.  

Stay tuned!

Phase 3 Sneak Peek

First day of first week of Phase 3.  Just finished the Chest and Back workout and getting ready to jump in the shower.

I need a tan.  And yeah, I wear my workout gloves in the shower.  What's it to ya?

Still Here..

No, I haven't joined the circus nor am I one of the poor misfortunate souls who've lost their way from the Church of Tony Horton. 

Still going strong.  Still pushing play.

I am, however, extremely busy.  My blog entries have dropped off recently because I have been deployed to work hurricane-related stuff in St. Louis.  Like this:

Yeah, that's what happens when you get more water under the pool than in it.  And to answer your question, no it's not covered.

Anyway, I am almost done with my second Recovery Week and preparing to jump pushup-stands first into the home stretch.   This is it:  Phase 3 is the end of Round One of Matty's P90X Adventure(tm).  Of course, Round Two will begin promptly thereafter.

I may actually post up some current photos before Day 90 after all .  I am seeing some pretty good results and it just doesn't seem fair to keep them all to myself..

One thing I have noticed, and I am not sure if I mentioned this previously or not, but I find that it's much easier to stick to my diet plan when I am on the road versus when I am at home.  I think the reason why is that when I am at home, there is no structure or routine.  At home, lunch isn't something I make right after I eat breakfast.  At home, I forget to take a protein bar with me when I run an errand.  Not that I abandoned my nutrition during my short respite, no sir.  But it's certainly easier to get enough turkey sandwiches and apples when I have no other choice but to reach for my lunch box, where they are happily waiting for me.

Body Chatter

I learned in the past when working out and running that my body will kind of "talk" to me from time to time.  Little tweaks here and there, or a little pop, or a little weird pain for a second that never happens again, or even a pain or some kind of discomfort that appears with a new move and doesn't go away until that joint or appendage gets stronger.

During P90 I had this thing with my right knee.  Whenever I would do squats and lunges my right knee had this funny kind of popping thing right below the knee cap.  It would feel like somebody was lightly running their finger across my knee when I would go down for a lunge.  It was weird, but it didn't last very long and hasn't happened since about the middle of P90.  I had strained that tendon below the kneecap a couple of times in the past, doing nothing more than being a fat guy and kneeling down to pick something up.  It was quite painful for a long time, but since I have strengthened it, I don't even get the hint of discomfort like I used to when I would bump it accidentally.  Just needed to be worked out, I guess.

These days I have a little tweakiness in my right Achilles where it attaches at my heel.  I usually don't notice it until I am doing some downward dogs and if I relax I can stretch through it.  My other issue right now is my right wrist.  I started using pushup stands and adjusting my hands during yoga and it's not noticeable.  The pushup stands have made all the difference in this regard.  I think part of what I was doing was putting more weight on my hand instead of the heel of my palm when doing pushups or yoga maneuvers.

For a while I could pop my right shoulder pretty easily and if I wasn't careful when working out I could find myself in a little bit of pain.  That's pretty much gone now and I can't pop my shoulder even if I try.  Maybe it's those P90X Weighted Circles.  Boy, do those ever suck!

Weekly Update

Week 7, which actually would be my Phase 2 Recovery Week if I hadn't restarted Week 6, is starting just fine with Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders.  My numbers are up from the previous weeks - reps and/or weight - but that will all change again when Phase 3 starts, of course, because I won't be doing this same workout again for a while.  But this coming Recovery Week is going to be a nice one. 

I'm feeling stronger and stronger each week.  It's hard to break a sweat doing anything other than working out these days.  My sister and I cleaned out my basement today, moving a bunch of boxes of books (those of you who have been to my house know how many books I had in those massive shelves), and bagging about 15 large bags of trash.  Then we went out and had a nice dinner and walked around the Plaza a bit (Houston's seared ahi entree is MUCH better than McCormick and Schmick's, fyi).  And then I came back to my crib and did my workouts.  A rather active day.  But no sweat until the workout.

I've decided to not take any more photos until the very end of P90X, which looks like it will be October 26th.  That's still about 7 weeks away so I have a ways to go.

Rock n' roll.

My First Run

Back in the day, before I let myself go, I would to run 6.5 miles a day, six days a week.  I love running.  I used to even have dreams about running.  These dreams were very much like flying dreams:  running on a narrow trail through the woods at what seemed like 40 miles an hour, barely touching the ground.  Flying dreams are great, but people can't levitate or fly.  Running is the purest expression of the human athletic potential.  We were made to run.

Well, last week I decided to add some cardio to a lift day so I went for a run down the trolley trail next to Wornall Road.  It was so good that it was almost like those old dreams. 

I started off with some standard Tony Horton warmup stuff - you know, brisk walk, stretch; a little downward dog action.  Then I just started running.  I have to run up about 2 long blocks of maybe a 5% grade to get to the trail.  I swear I have never run that fast, with my knees that high, my tippy toes barely touching the ground, and not been completely winded by the time I got to the top.  But there I was at the top of the hill, breathing only slightly heavier than I was at the bottom.   So I jogged a little bit, then sprinted again.  Then I did it again.  And again.  I was flying down the trail like a deer.  My heels did not once touch the ground the first half of my 45 minute run.

It was glorious. 

I'm sure I provoked quite a controversy with the lunch crowd at QT sprinting down the parkway with my ear-to-ear grin like I was on fire being chased through a hospital zone by motorcycle ninjas and helicopters.  And the ninjas and helicopters were also on fire.

I cooled my heels a little bit during the second half and did a bit more of a conventional jog.  Overall, I don't think that running has ever felt this good.   P90 and P90X have gotten me in the best shape of my life.  So far.  After all, I am barely halfway through P90X and I plan on doing it again.   I felt no discomfort and my strength and power reserves were seemingly limitless. 

How could I have let myself get so out of shape?  Being fit is like really good drugs except it's the best thing in the world for a person.

Week Six Reboot

Well, I have decided to restart week six.  I started getting a little off track here and there and my normal seven-day week somehow became a nine-day week.  I didn't miss any workouts, I just threw in extra days off here and there.  I had a couple of long travel days, several overlong work days, and a day or two of recovery-from-work time with unexpectedly high demands on my time. 

So instead of going by the good, old-fashioned eleventy-day week, I decided to just restart week six and stick with our contemporary seven-day week (not that my body knows what a week is anyway).  In tandem with that, I am now requiring myself to make my workouts the number one priority first thing in the morning.  No matter what.  Working out in the afternoon became problematic when I got home, ironically, because I no longer had my work routine to give my day structure.  It used to be that my biggest obstacle to getting back in shape was being on the road and the severe inconvenience of having to spend 2 hours out of the day going to and from a gym.  Now, with my en suite P90X gym, my workout is as close as hitting play and picking up a dumbbell.  But I get home and suddenly I don't have to be dressed and out the door at 8am every single day and everything goes to hell.  It doesn't help that I have 7,342 things to coordinate and get done in the next two weeks.  It really doesn't help that I have my 46" LCD Sony HDTV with PS3 and 40 HD channels of glorious 1080 right next to my big comfy couch.  Hey, I've been working 6-7 days a week for like 5 months.  A guy can flop out on the couch for a few hours of Discovery HD, right?

Anyway, we're back on track and having the fitness portion of my day done before I do anything else is a major relief because it's not hanging over me for the rest of the day.  When I am working, I can work out in the evening after work and before dinner no problem because it's part of my schedule and what else am I going to do in the evening?  Drink beer?  LOL!!

So, without further ado, it's time for Plyo.