Week 12

Day 84: Kenpo X
Today I started Kenpo X without having done shoulder stretches. As I've said in previous entries, Tony Horton doesn't include shoulder stretches in the beginning warm-up but you need to pause the video and make sure you do these on your own. With the number of punches and blocks performed, it is VERY possible to tweak your rotator cuff without stretching properly.

Nutrition: roasted chicken 300 cal 0 carb, ground chicken patties 400 cal 2 carb, bacon 600 cal 0 carb, roasted chicken 300 cal 0 carb, curry chicken 400 cal 4 carb - 2000 calories 6 carbs

Day 83: Kenpo X

I was supposed to do Kenpo X today but decided I would make today my Rest Day.

Nutrition: omelette 200 cal 0 carb, bacon 300 cal 0 carb, roasted chicken 500 cal 0 carb, roasted shrimp 300 cal 0 carb, ground chicken patties 500 cal 2 carb, misc 500 cal 10 carb - 2300 calories 12 carbs

Day 82: Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X

Today was the last Legs and Back workout of the program. I decided to up the weights by five pounds for this last workout. I'll tell you that I could definitely feel the extra weight especially when doing the alternating side lunges.

Nutrition: two eggs 140 cal 0 carb, turkey bacon 200 cal 0 carb, sausage patties 500 cal 0 carb, sauteed bean sprouts 60 cal 1 carb, ground chicken patties 500 cal 2 carb, misc 500 cal 0 carb - 1900 calories 3 carbs

Day 81: Yoga X

I hate Yoga - plain and simple. It is too slow-paced for me and I just don't enjoy it. Despite this, I tried to get through as much of it as I could before I could take no more. That turned out to be 30 minutes. Thirty minutes of Upward Dog, Chattaranga, Plank, Chair Pose, Warrior 1/2/3, Downward Dog, etc... is enough for me.

Nutrition: two eggs 140 cal 0 carb, sauteed bean sprouts 60 cal 1 carb, turkey bacon 200 cal 0 carb, beef frank 150 cal 2 carb, cheese-steak meat 300 cal 1 carb, buffalo wings 500 cal 2 carb


Day 80: Back and Biceps + Ab Ripper X

Today was the last bicep workout of the entire program! My lats are still pretty sore from Day 78's workout. I don't know why because that workout involved the chest, triceps, and shoulders but not so much the lats. Therefore I did struggle a bit today with the pull-ups and chin-ups. Otherwise, I did well with the back exercises and was even able to increase the weights for almost all of them.

With ARX, I was able to do the Wide-Leg Sit-Ups without taking a break - something I haven't been able to do until today. Unfortunately, there was a deficit in that I was not able to do 65 straight Mason Twists like I have been doing for the past few ARX workouts. Not sure why... maybe I was just extra fatigued.

Nutrition: turkey bacon 150 cal 0 carb, sauteed spinach 60 cal 1 carb, two eggs 140 cal 0 carb, cantaloupe 100 cal 14 carb, roasted chicken 400 cal 0 carb, shrimp cocktail 200 cal 2 carb, buffalo wings 700 cal 3 carb - 1750 calories 20 carbs

Day 79: Plyometrics

Not much to say about today. If you've been reading, you know that this is the workout that burns the most calories. It is a cardio BEAST of a workout. And on top of doing plyo, I also did MMA training for an hour and Jiu Jitsu training for an hour.

As always, injuries to watch out for during this workout are knee, ankle, foot, and lower back injuries. The reason is because these are the areas that take the brunt of the impact in this "jump" workout. It's called PLYOmetrics for a reason - that reason is because there is a LOT of jumping and getting airborne. I did not (nor do I recall ever having) encounter any injuries today (although I was pretty sore from yesterday's workout). One thing that I wish I had done from the beginning is wear a heart rate monitor. This is a great way to make sure you're really bringing the correct amount of intensity (which should be max intensity). I'd recommend it to anyone doing P90X if you can afford the extra $20 expense for the monitor.

Nutrition: buffalo wings 700 cal 3 carb, two eggs 140 cal 0 carb, sauteed spinach 60 cal 1 carb, turkey bacon 150 cal 0 carb, flax toast 200 cal 1 carb, buffalo wings 700 cal 3 carb, diet crush 50 cal 6 carb - 2000 calories 14 carbs

Day 78: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps + Ab Ripper X

This week, I'm back to the more difficult workouts of Phase 2 (month 2). This is the last week of true workouts for the entire program. Next week (the very last week) is set up as the Rest Week that is seen at the end of Phases 1 and 2.

Today, I was unable to make it to the gym for this workout. This might be a bit of a problem for most P90X'ers that have been relying on free weights and don't have any free weights at home. In my case, I did have some very limited interchangeable plate-based dumbbells at home. Unfortunately, they weighed a bit more than I was used to for some of the exercises. I resolved this problem by just using what I had at home (for those particular exercises). In most cases, this was an increase of 5-10 pounds compared to the last time I had done this workout. This was not a bad thing (probably even a good thing) since one of the P90X goals is to increase strength and the weight amount as you progress through the P90X program. I've also realized during my personal 'working out' career (not just P90X) that you need to be careful when you are increasing weights for exercises that work sensitive and injury-prone muscle groups like the rotator cuff muscles (RCM). RCM tears and strains are not fun, take a little longer to heal, and limit your daily function quite a bit. Be cognizant of this information and incorporate it into your workout to safely increase weight amounts for these types of muscle groups.

I would also like to add a note about supplements. I have not used any protein drinks or creatine supplements for the past month (I believe - check my daily nutrition logs to find the exact Day) or so. The reason for this is because these supplements have a TON of carbohydrates and as you might recall I started a low-carb approach somewhere around the start of Phase 3. If I remember correctly, 2 scoops of Cell-Tech creatine supplement had around 75 GRAMS of sugar! That's ridiculous! In comparison, I think a can of Coca-Cola has 39 grams of sugar. When people see my before and after pics, I know some will be wondering if any supplements were taken. This is why I am trying my best to keep a record of when I have and have not taken supplements (plus, you can find every supplement drink that I've taken under each day's nutrition log). Many thanks to a colleague and friend for pointing out the relationship of the AFTER photos and supplement use.

Nutrition: buffalo wings 700 cal 3 carb, two eggs 140 cal 0 carb, sauteed spinach 60 cal 1 carb, philly cheese and turkey bacon 400 cal 0 carb