The BS of My Life / P90X: Day 50 – 56

I was on a Recovery Week this week, and it felt like a fucking vacation. I can’t wait to get started on the final phase of P90X next week!

Starting weight: 177lbs
After week 8: 159lbs.

Here’s how the week went.

The Workouts:

Day 50:
Yoga X

After last week’s Yoga fiasco I was determined to get a good quality workout out of today. First, I shut off the lights in my living room and left only the light in my kitchen on. I worked out in the evening, so this made my apartment pretty dark. I usually do the Yoga DVD now without ever having to look at the screen so I’m less distracted, but today I wanted to focus a lot on my breathing, and synchronizing my movements with my breaths as they say, so I brought the volume down quite a bit. I noticed right away that by doing this, the workout seemed to get me way more relaxed, the postures were way more effective, and my energy throughout the workout was a lot higher. I didn’t break into a sweat until a little later than usual, and I was really paying attention to my positioning through each move. This is not to say it wasn’t as difficult, it’s just that it was under way more control than usual. I plan to do this for all of my Yoga X workouts from now on.

By the time all of the moving postures were over I was tired, but not exhausted how I used to be. I felt strong and confident in what I had just accomplished. I can get through all or most of the static postures with relevant comfort with the exception of Plough (I can’t put my feet on the floor), and Crane (I can’t hold it for the full minute). But today I toweled off my elbows and knees and was able to hold Crane for about 30secs. I think the moisture on my skin ends up making it more difficult than after toweling off.

I really needed this workout bad. It was really calming and got me in a good mental state about the Recovery Week.

Day 51:
Core Synergistics

Now that I’ve done this workout a couple of times, I was excited to get to it today. I knew what I was getting into and I was aware of where I struggled in the past. This is obviously an overarching theme with P90X and it makes perfect sense to continue to push yourself in the places you have trouble with, within the exercises, and also within your lives. (exit cheesy exercise/life metaphor).

The one thing I can say that I absolutely hate about this DVD is Tony Horton. He is fucking annoying as a motherfucker in this DVD and I feel like telling him to shut the fuck up. But that’s another important thing about doing P90X, you gotta do it for yourself and kind of tune him out strategically like tuning out muscleheads and dudebro’s at the gym.

Here’s the rundown of Core Synergistics and how I did:

Stacked Foot/Staggered Hands Push-up:
Stack toe of right foot on heal of left foot. Stagger hands, do 5 pushups, switch feet and hands. Repeat.

Reps: 20

Banana Roll:
Start on your back with extended and off the floor, arms extended overhead with shoulders off the floor. Hold for 5 count. Turn onto right side, maintaining arms and feet off of the floor. Hold for 5 count. Turn onto stomach. Hold for 5 count. Turn onto left side. Hold for 5 count. Turn onto back. Hold for 5 count. Reverse motions until you are onto your back again. That is 1 pass. Repeat for 2 passes.

I got through this no problem, but I still need to push the ground going from stomach to side.

Leaning Crescent Lunges:
Lunge to the right holding low-weight dumbbells, lean to 45 degrees, perform an overhead press keeping body inline.

Reps: everyone does 24
Weight: 10lbs.

Trust me, you don’t need a lot of weight to feel this in your core. It’s tough with too much weight to keep your body straight during the press. Got through it slightly out of my comfort zone.

Squat Run:
In low crouch, one leg in front of the other, swing arms in running motion while holding light weights. Continue for 30secs, switch feet, continue for 30 more seconds.

I did this with 10lbs weights and it is tough. I can get through the whole thing, but you start to feel your arms swinging slower and slower and your core needs to be engaged to keep your body from jerking left and right with your momentum. Felt great though.

Sphinx Push-up:
In plank position, drop elbows to the ground and rest on forearms. With hands forward, push up to straight arms and lower elbows back down to ground keeping body straight.

Reps: 8

I love this exercise, but it is definitely harder than it sounds, especially in the context of the whole workout. I wanna be able to do 10, but in the time you’re sort of ‘given’, I can’t do it yet.

Bow to Boat:
Bow: Start on stomach with hands reaching back holding ankles. Pull and kick out legs so thighs and chest lift off ground and back arches. Boat: Sit on floor in L shape, lift legs off ground and hold arms out forward and parallel to legs, balancing on your butt and keeping your back straight. You perform Bow for close to 10secs, switch to Boat, hold for 10, alternate for 1 minute.

This exercise is hard. I’ve done it a few times and I do enjoy it, but it’s difficult. I really start to feel it in my quads going back and forth from holding them up in Boat to stretching them out in Bow. Fucking hell.

Low Lateral Skaters:
Legs wide, fingertips on ground, slide to one side to perform a side lunge. While in lunge, kick the straightened leg up off of the floor. Place it back into position and slide to the opposite side, alternate movement.

You do this for about a minute. I really felt it in my hamstrings today while in the lunge. I’m feeling my legs get a bit stronger and my feet didn’t really drift out of position as they used to.

Lunge & Reach:
Holding a dumbbell with both hands, reach down to your right ankle in a lunge, then reach up across your body to set the dumbell on an imaginary shelf above your head. Repeat for 2mins.

Reps: 8 per set.
Weight: 10lbs

You do 30 second sets on each side twice. Today it felt difficult for some reason, but I got through it. I wanna push myself to get to 10 reps, but that might cause me to move a little faster which wouldn’t be smart considering control is what keeps the core engaged. I absolutely love this exercise.

Prison Cell Push-up:
Push up, bring right knee into chest, push up, bring left knee into chest, push up, jump to your feet, raise arms into the air, jump back and repeat.

Reps: 8

By this time in the workout, I’m gassed. My heartrate is up and when I get to about the 6th rep, the pace of the exercise is slowed. I want more out of this, but honestly, I push myself to the point where I drop onto the floor and I still can’t get 10 reps of this damn exercise down by this point into Core Synergistics. Fucking pissed at myself.

Side Hip Raise:
On your side, feet stacked on top of one another, elbow under shoulder, resting with forearm out, other arm on your hip. Raise hip up as high as you can and lower back down.

Reps: 15 per side

This exercise is dope. It doesn’t look like much, but it feels great. I’d like to be able to do at least 18 by the time I’m done P90X. (One more month!!!)

Squat X-Press:
Straight legs out further than shoulders, bend over in a squat and lower hands (weights) down to ground. Raise body, straighten legs and extend hands overhead to make a huge X.

Reps: 30
Weight: 10lbs

I think I can do this with 15lbs, but without weights I’m not sure. I gotta buy a new set of weights asap.

Plank to Chaturanga Run:
In a plank position, run with feet, pulling knees up to chest while maintaining a straight body. Every 10 seconds switch to Chaturanga run (low pushup with knees coming up to elbows). Alternate for 1 minute.

I cannot do the Chaturanga Run. It is dumb hard. I do the Plank Run for 10 seconds, try for the Chaturanga Run, usually crash, then have to continue doing the Plank Run for the full minute. I’m feeling an awkward level of plateauing of my strength with P90X, and I’ll get into it a bit in the Closing Thoughts.

Walking Push-up:
In plank position, walk forward with hands and on toes for 4 steps forward and 4 steps backward. Repeat for 1 minute.

One of the hardest parts about this exercise is synchronizing your hands and feet in a way that it’s possible to move for 4 steps in either direction. When you put your right hand forward, inch your left toe upward and alternate. This may be self explanatory. But maybe I’m an idiot sometimes. lol. No problems with this exercise here.

Superman Banana:
A Superman is the stomach down part of the Banana Roll. A Banana is the back down part of the Banana Roll. Alternate from Superman to Banana in brief 5 counts for a minute.

This used to be really difficult for me, but now I’ve grown accustom to the level of difficulty of it and the way I need to control my body in order to get through it effectively. Tony’s fast paced switching from Superman to Banana had me killed the first time I did Core Synergistics, but now it’s kinda fun.

Lunge Tricep Curl Press:
Step into a deep lunge, do a tricep kickback, straighten upper body, do a curl, do an overhead press, reverse curl, stand up, repeat on other side for 20 reps.

Weight: 10lbs.

I like this exercise a lot. I could do with another 5lbs of weight, so hopefully I can get some new weights this week. There’s a lot going on in these movements but you feel great during the whole sequence.

Towel Hoppers:
Place a rolled up gym/hand towel on the ground, hop back and forth at a medium to fast pace for 1 minute.

This used to be really hard for me, but today I went all out, thinking about doing Plyometrics, and got through it okay. It’s a lot on the heart and lungs, but just pushing yourself to get passed 1 minute will get you there. I always have a fear of landing on the towel and rolling my ankle and then bashing my face off of my wall or something, but thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet. lol.

Reach High & Under Push-ups:
Do a pushup, lock ankles and turn on your side reaching your hand as high as you can, then back down under your torso, raising your hips, then back up high. Return to plank, alternate sides and repeat for 1 minute.

I can get 8 reps in of this exercise during the 1 minute duration. Stability is the key in this whole workout and you really get a sense of that during this exercise. Sometimes you feel yourself falling back or forward and not keeping your balance is what’ll make this move ineffective. Sidebar: by now I’m sweating like a hog.

Steam Engine:
Hands behind your head like a prisoner, bring left knee up and touch right elbow to left knee at your chest. Alternate sides for 50 reps, increasing speed.

No problems performing this exercise, but I’d like to be able to do it a little faster than I am now. My breath was getting short and I was definitely starting to feel tired by this point.

Dreya Roll:
Stand up tall at the end of your mat with hands over head. Roll back onto your butt and up onto your shoulders, pointing toes straight to the ceiling. Roll back forward to your feet and stand, raising arms. Repeat for 1 minute.

I hate this Dreya Weber bitch. She acts like she’s the shit and looks like the female version of Dolph Lundgren. Tony Horton would love to bang her and you can tell in every video she’s in. She’s so fucking annoying. Anyways, this move was apparently introduced by her and it’s pretty hard. I can do it with a greater level of ease and control than when I first started out doing Core Synergistics, but I admit, it’s still a little tough to get back up off of your feet without using a combination of the momentum from your roll and your hands.

Plank to Chaturanga Iso:
In plank position, hold for 10 sec., go down to chaturanga, hold for 10 sec. Repeat for 1 minute.

This exercise doesn’t sound hard but when you’re exhausted from the whole DVD, it’s tough. I made it through the full minute today, something that I don’t think I’ve been able to do yet.

Halfback:
Run like you are hopping into four monster truck tires, 2 on either side of you, then run backwards with high knees for 6 steps. Repeat for 1 minute.

I actually really like this exercise. I was able to get through it, and it’s not the most excruciating thing you have to do in P90X, so this was fine.

Table Dip Raise:
In table position, (butt facing the floor, body parallel to the ground with torso straight, bent at knees, arms straight and directly under shoulders), raise right leg straight as possible and do 5 dips, switch legs every 5 dips.

I was able to do 30 reps today. For me, this is a lot. It’s really hard by this point in the DVD to keep your arms steady because they’re so fatigued, but it feels good when it’s all over with.

—

Today’s workout felt amazing. I’m feeling the slower pace of the recovery week and I’m attacking each day individually. I do my best to think about my breathing to ease the pressure, and it’s been really helpful. Kenpo tomorrow..

Day 52:
Kenpo X

I love this workout. I know I’ve said it a bunch of times, but at this point it’s my favorite because I feel like I know it very comfortably.

I didn’t have any problems today and I was really focusing on striking with a lot of force, but not “banging my joints” so to speak. I wanted to up my level of intensity in order to get more out of the workout and it really paid off. Knowing the workout tends to get you to slack a bit, but with this DVD, it’s easy to just push yourself to do more and more, and work harder and harder. I still do all the jumping jacks and X jumps, which shows how much my cardio has improved, and I really don’t have a hard time with Kenpo at all.

Today was a nice release and I’m relieved that I’ve got a day off tomorrow.

Day 53:
Rest or X Stretch

I wish I had stretched today, but instead I chilled out. Last night was some bullshit and I needed to deal with some things.. so I did.

Day 54:
Core Synergistics

This workout is slowly becoming one of my favorites. Today I was more determined to get my reps up and concentrate on my form, and I feel that I did really well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get as many Sphinx Push-ups or Prison Cell Push-ups done as I wanted to, but that comes from pushing yourself more in other exercises. I find the more you try to do in one area, the more difficult it gets to do more in the next area. Makes sense though, right?

I’m loving this recovery week, and can’t wait to get into another Yoga session tomorrow.

Day 55:
Yoga X

I really needed to get this workout in today and release a bunch of tension that had been building over the last couple of days. I did the exact same thing I did earlier this week and turned out my lights, focused on my breathing, and got to it right away. Everything was really relaxing, and I noticed myself pushing to improve every aspect of my poses. I got through the first 40 minutes or so just fine. Then I got to the Warrior Three section. Now, usually I try for Warrior Three, but skip passed Half Moon and Twisting Half Moon. But lately I’ve been able to do Warrior Three and Half Moon. Today I tried for it again. I really pushed myself to stay on that 1 foot even though I knew it wouldn’t be good for me because of my flat feet. I felt a bad burning sensation in my calf and foot and still stayed there until it got too much and I had to stop. When I switched sides I decided that I would do the same and push myself to just get through Half Moon. The same thing happened and I did it for as long as I could before crumbling. It was tough, but I did it.

After all the moving postures and the static stretches, I got to Yoga Belly 7. I really feel like I killed it earlier this week and was trying to do the same again today. I worked super hard and got a great workout out of it, pushing myself through every section, focusing on my breathing, and trying to keep up with “Adam” from the DVD. I was stoked about how well I did, and continued onto the last leg of stretches before ending the workout.

This week was amazing. I feel rejuvenated, well rested, and strong. I have 1 more phase of P90X to go and I’m finished, and having this Recovery Week to relax and reflect a bit has been amazing.

Day 56:
Rest or X Stretch

I didn’t stretch today, but noticed that my right calf was feeling like it was torn on my way home from my daughters. I was really getting shook and was massaging it and really favoring it while I walked. The last thing I wanted to do was have to stop because of an injury, especially this close to the finish, so I got home, wrapped it up, and rested. Hopefully I’ll be okay for Plyometrics on Tuesday.

The Diet:

Damn, at this point you guys know what it is with my diet. But as far as this week, this is what it looked like.

I, as usual, ate a lot of egg whites. I bought about 500g of turkey and cajun chicken and would tear pieces of turkey up to throw into my eggs in the morning and eat them with whole wheat bread and nonfat butter. The cajun chicken I would eat in sandwiches, or in piles just by itself. I also bought frozen strawberries, which make my shakes taste amazing! I wish I was doing this the whole fucking time. lol. I made a bunch of homemade jerk chicken and on one day, went to Tim Hortons and had BBQ chicken wraps. Holy, I forgot how good BBQ sauce tastes. Again, I’ve been eating veggie burgers in tomato sauce to act as meat with whole wheat pasta, and I’ve continued to eat apples nearly daily. They still don’t sit well in my stomach, but the wife promises that after some time I’ll develop the necessary enzymes to break them down comfortably.

Nothing terribly exciting has changed in my diet, but I don’t really mark anything down anymore. I’m in such a routine that I keep mental note of how many carbs I’ve eaten in the day and how much more protein I need to take in.

I am considering eating a little more heavily to gain some weight back, because as indicated up top, I’m under 160lbs now. I mean, I fluctuate from 159 – 161, and I know that was my goal, but holy shit. I don’t wanna be a disappearing act. lol.

I’m convinced that these eating habits are gonna stick with me, but that’s easy to say while I’m on the diet. Hopefully I can be smart about it all and be mindful of what I use as fuel for my body when this is all done.

Closing Thoughts:

This week was a rough one. Some personal shit went down that really had me pissed and frustrated and unhappy and crying and angry all over again, I hurt my leg and am worrying about getting through next week, I dropped to the lowest weight I’ve been in years, and I’m getting increasingly, increasingly upset with what I am surrounded by.

Last week was filled with work and busying myself with projects, and this week was sort of the same, but the difference was that my mind was being hammered with the thought of personal issues while I was trying to work on things. I needed to get a set of Fully Wholly’s done for the Kultura show at Kapisanan Philippine Centre while thinking about shit that was out of my control. I was expected to show up to the show, but was doing a workshop at Will’s program, then my anxiety got the best of me and I didn’t go at all. I’ve really gone through quite a few emotional rides this week and I’m thankful that it all happened during my recovery week.

Some exciting new thoughts have come about and I’m drifting into a world that I feel comfortable in. I can only hope that things workout how I have them envisioned.

More to follow.. thanks for paying attention guys.

Welcome To The Legends League.

Read The BS of My Life / P90X:
Intro
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Day 30 Results
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7

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