TheLegendsLeague | Bryan Espiritu

Week 11 is DONE! HA! Only 1 more week of actual strength training and then I’m in my last week of P90X, which is a Recovery Week! Do you have any idea how stoked I am?! Man, I’ve worked super hard to get to this point, and this week was ridiculous considering I knew I wasn’t gonna have to do these workouts again for the duration of these 90 days.

Starting weight: 177lbs
After week 11: 159lbs.

Here’s how the week went.

The Workouts:

Day 71:
Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

This here was my very last time doing this workout. *tear. I’ve grown pretty fond of this Chest & Back DVD. It’s simple shit, push and pull, and nothing that I’m gonna feel funny about doing in the gym later. There’s a lot of push-up variations and a lot of pull-up variations, then you’ve got 3 other exercises involving weights – Heavy Pants, Lawnmowers, and Back Flys.

My goal for today was to do 300 total push-ups, and 50 total pull-ups. Last time I did this workout I did 273 push-ups and 45 pull-ups, so while the pull-ups seemed attainable, doing 27 MORE push-ups was a stretch to say the least. My plan was to gauge my fatigue and go for as many as possible even if I needed to take breaks.

Here’s how I did:

Standard Push-Ups:
Round 1: 35
Round 2: 35

Wide Front Pull-Ups:
Round 1: 15
Round 2: 10

Military Push-Ups:
Round 1: 25
Round 2: 25

Reverse Grip Chin-Ups:
Round 1: 10
Round 2: 10

Wide Fly Push-Ups:
Round 1: 30
Round 2: 30

Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups:
Round 1: 12
Round 2: 8

Decline Push-Ups:
Round 1: 25
Round 2: 20

Heavy Pants:
Round 1: Reps 20 / Weight 25lbs
Round 2: Reps 20 / Weight 25lbs

Diamond Push-Ups:
Round 1: 20
Round 2: 20

Lawnmowers:
Round 1: Reps 15 / Weight 30lbs
Round 2: Reps 20 / Weight 30lbs

Dive-bomber Push-Ups:
Round 1: 15
Round 2: 17

Back Flys:
Round 1: Reps 15 / Weight 20lbs
Round 2: Reps 20 / Weight 20lbs

My final push-up count: 297
My final pull-up count: 65

Although I fell 3 short of my goal in push-ups, I beat my pull-up goal by 15 reps. I’m not gonna lie, knowing that I could have done 1 extra rep in 3 of the push-up categories to hit my goal ate me up a bit, but I tried my best. I also feel like knowing this was my last time doing this workout really motivated me to push myself to my absolute limit and it felt great to know I worked as hard as I possibly could today.

Moving on to Ab Ripper X I was confident and knew that not wasting any time between workouts would be the smart thing to do. So I got to it right away.

Here’s how I did:

In & Outs: Easy
Bicycles (forward): Difficult, took no breaks.
Bicycles (backward): Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 1 rep each.
Crunchy Frog: Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 1-2 reps each. I hate these.
Cross Legged Sit Ups: Difficult, took no breaks.
Fifer Scissors: Very Difficult, took 3-4 breaks for 1-2 reps each.
Hip Rock & Raise: Hard, took no breaks.
Pulse Ups: Difficult, took no breaks.
V-Up Roll Ups: Difficult, took no breaks.
Leg Climbs: Hard, took no breaks
Oblique V-Ups: Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 2-3 reps each.
Mason Twist: Hard, took no breaks.

It seems like my Ab Ripper X workouts are going pretty consistently similar. I have trouble areas where my legs and hip flexors are involved: Bicycles, Crunchy Frog, Fifer Scissors. Everything else with the exception of Oblique V-Ups is tough, but I can manage the pain and discomfort. I feel like if my flexibility in my legs was better, I’d be able to kill this workout. But knowing that it’s hard to get through makes it more appealing I guess.

Day 72:
Plyometrics

I wasted no time this morning getting into Plyo. It’s grueling and is the hardest DVD in the program, so it’s easy to try to avoid it, but I’ve learned from experience that waiting throughout the day to do a workout like this only makes it harder when you finally get to it.

My goal going into Plyo today was to go at 110%. This is the second last time I have to do this DVD and knowing that made me feel a level of confidence and accomplishment.

I noticed early that the lunge sequence and the Prayer Squats, both part of the warm-up, had me in a bit of discomfort. I don’t know if this was from how hard I worked my legs last week or from being early in the morning, but I felt beat very soon into this. I tried to keep the mentality that I was in a class and I did my best to smile and laugh through the pain and make fun of Tony Horton to keep my mind in it. lol.

When the workout actually started I was feeling good. My heart rate was relatively low through the first round and I was feeling a good level of confidence. Going into the second round, I noticed my quads starting to get tired and the intensity of my breathing was increasing. My heart rate and breathing don’t concern me as much as the pain in my quads because you need the strength to get through all of the rounds. By the time I got to the third round I was regaining some confidence and really pushing myself. I did Jump Knee Tucks with a really high level of intensity and my breathing was getting to a shallow gasping point. I kept going and kept pushing to try to get the most out of the workout. By the time the DVD was halfway through I was feeling a great deal of confidence. I was less tired than I had been in the past, was working very hard and sweating buckets, but I felt a lot more energy than ever before at this point. The fourth round starts with Rock Star Hops, which I used to hate, but I didn’t seem to mind them so much today. I pushed and pushed and got through them. The move that I actually hate doing a lot is Military March, and today it was grueling. I notice my breath kind of hiccups as I do this because of the high intensity. You get fooled into thinking that because of the low level of impact you’re gonna be okay, but really it’s tough as hell. Going into the fourth break, I was starting to feel tired, but my confidence was really high knowing I was almost done. The first move in the fifth round is Run Squat with 180 Jump. I hate it. At this point the fatigue was making my form waver a lot and I had to do this move modified. I was jumping at first but then had to resort to the leg switch and the ‘not-so-low’ squat. I was in a lot of pain, but still did my best. Finally, the sports bonus. This is easily my favorite round of Plyo because it’s fun and you know you’re almost finished when you get to this point. I was really hype about getting through it and I pushed really hard through each sequence, especially Football Hero. When I was done, I felt amazing.

A lot was happening with me emotionally today, and being able to get in a good workout helped me clear my mind. I was able to address the issues and fix the problems much better once I was done working out. The release of physical energy and tension resulted in a level of clarity that helped my emotional and mental states gain some much needed focus. It hasn’t been more evident than in these last 2 weeks that exercise and emotional and mental well-being go hand in hand.

Day 73:
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Once again, this is a workout that I’ll be doing for the last time today. *another tear. Like Chest & Back, Shoulders & Arms is a workout that is really simple yet really effective. I plan to take this workout to the gym with me once I’m done P90X, for sure.

My goals for today: push yourself to your absolute limit. I know, this is what you’re supposed to do every day on P90X, and I have been doing that. But knowing you’re never gonna do this workout again keeps you motivated to get it in just a little bit more.

I’m not gonna go exercise for exercise on this day’s review, but know that by the end of today I felt absolutely exhausted. I really gave it my absolute best and I feel like it showed. After every workout I take a couple of photos – one with my shirt on, one with my shirt off. And I can definitely say that I’ve never seen my body look how it does right now, especially after this workout. It was intense and I was really just killing myself to get extra reps in. I was doing strip-sets after I was tired, I was talking back to the DVD telling Tony to shut the fuck up, and I could feel the muscles in my forearms especially, on the verge of busting out of my skin. Fucking insane.

For those of you who are familiar, this workout ends with Side Tri-Rises. It gets crazy intense because everyone is trying to outdo each other and Tony gets the most reps in. My goal at the end of this workout was to do more Side Tri-Rises than him because he says, “If any of you do 26, I’m coming to your house!!”. I did 26 with my left arm and 29 with my right. Fuck that. lol.

When I was done I took no rest and went right into Ab Ripper X. I was determined to make today better than 2 days ago. Here’s how I did.

In & Outs: Easy
Bicycles (forward): Difficult, took no breaks.
Bicycles (backward): Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 1-2 rep each. Did about 18 total.
Crunchy Frog: Very Difficult, took 3-4 breaks for 1-2 reps each. Did about 15 total
Cross Legged Sit Ups: Very Difficult, took no breaks.
Fifer Scissors: Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 2-3 rep each. Did about 15 total
Hip Rock & Raise: Hard, took no breaks.
Pulse Ups: Difficult, took no breaks.
V-Up Roll Ups: Very Difficult, took no breaks.
Leg Climbs: Difficult, took no breaks
Oblique V-Ups: Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 2-3 reps each. Did 20 per side.
Mason Twist: Very Hard, took no breaks.

Well, as determined as I was to do really well today, I forgot one very important factor – I did Plyometrics yesterday and my legs were fatigued. This meant that anything involving my weakest point – legs and hip flexors, was ridiculously hard. lol. Honestly, my abs were killing me today while doing this workout and I felt like they’re really getting to a pretty good point of strength. Although the workout was really hard, I’m really, really happy with how I did today and know that I couldn’t have given it any more effort than I put in today.

Things are getting interesting..

Day 74:
Yoga X

I put a lot of focus and determination into getting a good workout in today. I was concerned that the past issues with Yoga X were gonna continue through to the end of my P90X project and I didn’t want that, so I was very intent on having today go really well.

I took a nap prior to working out because I was exhausted and feeling burnt today. As soon as I got up I started the workout.

Trying to clear my mind was admittedly hard, but I did what I had to do to not think about designing and work. I focused on the movements and making them difficult and for the first time, I counted how many push-ups are done before every downward dog throughout the whole DVD. If you’re familiar with the program you know what I’m talking about. The answer is 24 by the way.

I knew that if I skipped past the Warrior Three sequence and any of the static postures my mind would be separated from the workout, so I didn’t do that tonight. Instead, after doing Warrior Three, I went back into Crescent Pose for the remainder of the sequence. I held it for about a minute and a half on each side. That was honestly one of the hardest parts of today’s workout.

When I got to the static postures I stuck through Standing Leg Extensions even though my flexibility is really shitty, and I did pretty good at Crane today. As usual, my favorite and least favorite part of Yoga X is Yoga Belly 7. Here’s how I did today:

Touch The Sky:
Good form, good height. No problems.

Boat:
Good form good height. Again, no problems.

Half Boat:
Steady, but my leg tends to drift down. I held it up and while I appeared shaky, I’m was in control for he duration of the pose.

Scissors:
Again, because of my hip flexibility, my leg drifts down when I try to keep it straight which actually makes this exercise harder than if I could just hold it straight in the air. I stuck it through and had no issues other than the difficulty.

Torso Side Twist:
My first set felt really long and I started to notice the pain in my side. I breathed through it and made it to the next side no problem.

Deep Torso Side Twist:
This was tough, but with the increase in strength in my abs it wasn’t excruciatingly difficult.

3 Part Touch The Sky:
:20 – Good height out of my shoulders, but my legs were already drifting.
:40 – Better height out of my shoulders, legs were drifting and getting shaky from trying to keep them straight.
:60 – Shoulders very high, legs and butt off the ground and really pushing for height. The pain was intense but I stuck it through.

—

I was really happy with today’s workout. I felt I accomplished my goal of staying mentally focused and getting the most out of the session. Today gave me a lot of confidence going into my last week of P90X and into the Final Recovery Week where I’ll be doing Yoga 2 more times.

Day 75:
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

My goal with my legs was form, control and added weight. I know that this workout is predominantly quads and hamstrings early in the DVD and calves later on, so getting through the upper legs is generally the grueling problem area for me. I did my best to stay focused and move methodically through the discomfort. This helped. I find that when I rush I’m not doing anything for myself but getting numbers out, so having control was important for me. My other great motivation was the fact that I’m finding the lower part of my stomach underneath my waistline is getting strong and I feel it mostly after working legs and doing Plyo. That pushed me to work harder today for sure.

It kinda sucks that there’s no worksheet for legs because I can’t track my progress the same as with the other exercises. I know that I’m using more weights, lunging deeper and showing more control, but it’s nice to have the numbers in front of you in order to push for more week after week. This is one of the rare things that I don’t get about P90X.

Now onto the Back exercises. Last week I did 110 Pull-Ups in this workout, and as usual I was determined to beat my previous week’s numbers. Knowing that the numbers were that high was definitely a little intimidating, but I mentally break down the pull-ups into mini sets so I can imagine myself getting through them. For instance, if I want to do 15 pull-ups I think about it as 3 quick sets of 5, or 4 quick sets of 4 that will bring me over the 15 rep mark. That way I know I can do it and it’s not as daunting.

Here were my numbers for today:

Round 1. Reverse Grip Chin-Ups: 20
Round 2. Wide Front Pull-Ups: 15
Round 3. Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups: 16
Round 4. Switch Grip Pull-Ups: 12
Round 5. Reverse Grip Chin-Ups: 16
Round 6. Wide Front Pull-Ups: 12
Round 7. Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups: 14
Round 8. Switch Grip Pull-Ups: 12

That’s a total of 117 Pull-Ups! Not quite as much of an improvement from last week as I would like, but it’s still better than my last performance and I can’t be too upset with that.

I went onto Ab Ripper X without a break since that’s been working well for me lately. Here’s how I did.

In & Outs: Easy
Bicycles (forward): Difficult, took no breaks.
Bicycles (backward): Very Difficult, took no breaks.
Crunchy Frog: Very Difficult, took 2-3 breaks for 1-2 reps each.
Cross Legged Sit Ups: Difficult, took no breaks.
Fifer Scissors: Very Difficult, took 3-4 breaks for 1 rep each.
Hip Rock & Raise: Hard, took no breaks.
Pulse Ups: Very Difficult, took no breaks.
V-Up Roll Ups: Difficult, took no breaks.
Leg Climbs: Hard, took no breaks
Oblique V-Ups: Very Difficult, did 20 per side.
Mason Twist: Hard, took no breaks.

Ab Ripper X is always tough after doing Legs & Back because your whole body is just exhausted. I was sweating like crazy and tired as hell today, but I had to get it done. I needed to take about a 30 minute nap before I did today’s workout because I was really fatigues and I noticed throughout the DVD that I was feeling really, really gassed and faint like I used to in Phase 1. I’ve been really busy with client work these days so I think all the working and running around is getting to me, but I need to pay close attention to my diet so that I know that I’m fueling myself enough to be pushing as hard as I have been with this weeks workouts.

Overall I was impressed with today’s performance. I only have to do this godforsaken workout 1 more time and I’m through! Can’t wait!

Day 76:
Kenpo X

I had a bunch of things to get done today, so I did Kenpo as soon as I woke up this morning. I gotta say, this is arguably the best time for me to workout because my mind is so groggy that I just do what I gotta do to get shit done. lol.

I’m not gonna go on too much about this workout. You all know that I love it. Today was no different.

My goals were the same as in the past: keep my heart rate high by increasing the intensity of the moves, don’t hurt my right leg with the kicks, and keep up during the breaks.

This was all accomplished and my workout was fantastic. Not much more I can say about it. Oh, my landlord was right by my window doing some paving in my back parking lot. He must’ve heard me working out and Tony Horton’s weird comments. lmao. That’s all.

Day 77:
Rest or X Stretch

I’ve been feeling like shit lately, but had a great day with my daughter today. When I got home I had plans to do X Stretch, but got caught up working. Another missed day of X Stretch can’t be good for my body. I need a massage badly.

The Diet:

I put emphasis back into my diet this week and how I’ve been managing what I’m eating. Like I said in last week’s update, I haven’t been recording all of my food the way that I was in the early stages of P90X because I got into such a good routine of eating that I was used to my portions and when I should eat, etc. As I got busier with work, the eating stopped being in the forefront of my mind and so I was eating less frequently and having bigger meals which resulted in some stomach cramps and bloating. This week was much different.

My diet is still comprised of the same types of foods – chicken, turkey, whole grain breads, non fat butter, no condiments, soy milk and fruits – but the amounts are getting a little bigger and I’m not locking myself into the same old same old all the time. I need to be able to adjust my extreme lockdown style of a diet so that it’s livable when I’m off P90X, so I ate out a couple of times this week in order to get used to making the right decisions outside of my own kitchen. I ate mostly salads, grilled chicken, still whole grain breads, and drank lots of water. On Tuesday, me and my girlfriend went for sushi and I ate a dumpling without asking what it was made of… wait for it… wait for it… it was BEEF! *gasp* I told the waitress I was deathly allergic. lol. It was kind of fucked up because it tasted so salty and tasty and foreign but familiar. And I didn’t think that they’d put a beef dumpling in a vegetarian Bento Box. But I guess so. lol. It was an honest mistake, but I was kinda pissed inside. Whatever. Not the end of the world.

My vegetable intake has dropped pretty drastically over the last 2 weeks. I’m just not intrigued by the lettuce in my fridge and actually had to throw out some carrots and a whole head of lettuce that went unused. This isn’t good because I’m not the greatest at remembering to eat fruits and vegetables. The fruit situation is fine because I love having my shakes, but the vegetables, I just never crave for.

I feel like I’m in a great place with the diet. I don’t feel restricted. I feel like all of the choices that are being made are mine and I’m not looking to a guide for what I should or shouldn’t be eating. I know what’s good, I know what’s great, and I know what’s garbage, so I keep track of it and do my best to stay away from things that are gonna make me feel and look like shit. Thinking like this has become really easy as the past 3 months have gone by and I hope to continue on this path after I’m done these 90 days.

Closing Thoughts:

Ah man. I don’t know where to start. This week was pretty hectic. Between work and personal business and some great time spent with my daughter and 3 hour commutes in the heat to get Winter shit finalized and tears and hard as hell workouts and disappointments and questioning my talent, I don’t know where my mind is right now. I really don’t.

I’ve been through the quarter life crisis. It feels like I’ve been through it a few times actually. And every time it’s telling me that I’m not doing what I’m meant to be doing.

I had a lot of suicidal thoughts this week. A lot of pistol to the head type thoughts. And I don’t need pity. I understand them. But understanding them doesn’t make it easier to deal with. I’ll write about that another time though.

Knowing that my P90X project is almost done is quite the relief. I’m confident in my ability to do almost anything now, and it’s given me a great starting block to get to where I’d like to be physically and mentally. Has it put me into the best shape of my life? Yes. Has it brought me to the prime shape I’d like to be in? No. But I’m close. To be honest, looking how I do now is a great confidence builder, but it doesn’t help when it’s being countered by an extreme lack of faith and confidence in other aspects of my life. Yes, I’m busy with client work and putting my ‘talents’ to good use. But whether they’re being put to the right use is the question. I can’t just pave a trail for myself without laying out the plans and finding the money to make it happen. But it needs to happen soon before I go insane. There’s just too much in my life that feels like it’s not going right for me to be happy. And it’s not that it’s going wrong per se. It’s just definitely not going right.

I struggled a lot this week with the truth that I’m going to be 30 in a couple of years. And in my eyes of done a lot of failing. Being that guy has gotten really old to this guy. Honestly.

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
Week 8
Day 60 Results
Week 9
Week 10

- Bryan 'be.' Espiritu