Week 7

Day 49: Kenpo X

Today was supposed to be Kenpo X, but I swapped Legs and Back with Kenpo X. So today I went to the gym and did Legs and Back. This week's leg/back workout was hard! I struggled moderately to finish all the exercises but I made it happen in the end.  I don't have any injuries to speak of specifically, but be careful as you could still easily injure yourself with some of the leg exercises.

Nutrition: two eggs/two bread slices 280 cal, protein drink 300 cal, protein drink 300 cal, chicken 800 cal, cornbread 200 cal, misc 300 cal - 2200 calories 

Day 48: Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X

Today was supposed to be Legs and Back with ARX, but I don't have my pullup bar with me and was unable to go to the gym... so I did Kenpo X instead. As I've said before this is an awesome workout and I think it's the best one them all. Nothing new about today. The only thing to mention is that the kicks require good flexibility in the hips, so try to work on your flexibility with the 'frog' pose and others.

Nutrition: protein drink 300 cal, three eggs/two bread slices 350 cal, protein drink 300 cal, chicken panini 320 cal, lean cuisine pasta 280 cal, protein drink 300 cal, three eggs/two bread slices 350 cal - 2100 calories

Day 47: Yoga X

Yoga X - the most dreaded (for me at least) workout of P90X. I did the entire workout... all ninety miserable minutes of it. I think the reason I don't much like Yoga X is because it requires a lot of patience and because it's a low-intensity workout. I have a low attention span and prefer high-intensity workouts (which is every workout EXCEPT yoga x). But still, I got through the entire thing and that's what counts. I'm glad I don't have to do this again for another couple days. No injuries encountered today, although I should caution other P90Xers that some of the thigh stretches get VERY intense. Yes, you want to stretch but you don't want to do so to the point of injury. Listen to your body and follow your instincts. If you're stretching and it's hurting like crazy then STOP. Weightlifting or exercising can sometimes get really painful ie that intense burn you get when you lift hard. On the other hand, stretching should not be a really painful experience. Stop if it hurts that much.

Nutrition: protein drink 300 cal, steamed veggies 160 cal, subway sub 300 cal, protein drink 300 cal, subway sub 300 cal, banana 100 cal, protein drink 300 cal, low-cheese veggie lasagna 500 cal - 2260 calories

Day 46: Back and Biceps + Ab Ripper X

I think out of all the Phase 2 workouts, I dislike this workout probably just as much as Yoga X. The reason is because, by the end of the workout I felt like I could not do another curl even with the puniest of weights. BUT, this is only with my left arm (non-dominant) and not my right arm (dominant). Could it be because my dominant right arm is stronger than the non-dominant left arm? It's possible. But the point is that this imbalance really messes with your motivation. I'm glad that I get a good couple-weeks-long break before I have to do this workout again.

ARX is going well. I'm still substituting the exercises that require hip flexion because I don't feel like having back strain again. A little more than half-way through the program and I'm able to complete the full amount of reps and last through the workout compared to when I started the program.

Nutrition: protein drink 300 cal, subway black ham 6" sub 300 cal, protein drink 300 cal, subway black ham 6" sub 300 cal, t-bone steak with sauteed veggies 700 cal, protein drink 300 cal - 2200 calories

Day 45: Plyometrics

Today is February 2nd, 2011 aka HALF-WAY THROUGH THE PROGRAM!! Nothing different about today's plyo workout compared to previous ones. One thing I did notice today is that I felt a little bit of the infamous left lower back muscle strain that I've had since starting the program. I believe the exercises today that may have caused it to come back (since I had been strain-free for over a week) are the 'military march' and 'swing kicks'. Both of these exercises require hip flexion so I'm concluding that it is exercises with this action - hip flexion - that is responsible for the strain.

About a week or so ago, I substituted the exercises of Ab Ripper X (ARX) requiring hip flexion (fifer scissors, hip rock n' raise, pulse ups) with those not requiring hip flexion. I did this because I suspected hip flexion exercises as the culprit for my back strain... since I had the strain every day after ARX. Ever since I made this substitution, I haven't had the strain - until today's plyometrics. I think I will continue to make these substitutions so as to keep the strain at bay.

Nutrition: protein drink 300 cal, steamed veggies 160 cal, oatmeal 140 cal, subway turkey breast sandwich 600 cal - 1200 calories

Day 44: Plyometrics

Instead of doing today's plyometrics, I decided to take the day off since my legs were still a bit sore and I had stuff to get done.

Nutrition: subway turkey breast (pepper jack cheese, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, peppers, black olives) 300 cal, protein drink 300 cal, chicken wings 800 cal, sushi 600 cal - 2000 calories

Day 43: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps + Ab Ripper X

Today is the start of Phase 2 Week 3. In today's workout, I struggled more with the shoulder exercises than with anything else. Not sure why, but my shoulders just started burning early on in the workout and lasted the whole  time. The burn was the "good" burn that you get when you work hard and struggle with the last three reps, so I wasn't concerned at all about any sort of injury. I know I'm making gains because I've increased either the number of reps or the amt of weight for many of the exercises in this workout (there were one or two exercises where I couldn't do as many reps as last week, namely shoulder exercises). Also, I was told over the weekend that I appeared to have gained some muscle mass. I don't particularly notice it, but I guess it would be normal not to notice it yourself.

Nutrition: protein drink 300 cal, subway turkey breast (pepper jack cheese, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, peppers, black olives) 300 cal, yogurt 200 cal, crab legs 350 cal, misc 400 cal, protein drink 300 cal - 1850 calories