Category: P90x

P90x Fitness Review

P90x Review, X Stretch – Week 4, Day 4, Total Days – 24

Morning everyone,

Joy of joys, it seems that my sleeping patterns are returning to normal – I got up at 5:15am and did my X Stretch at around 9am.

Have I mentioned how much I truly enjoy this DVD? Stretching has imparted such flexibility to my body that I’m able to move far more freer and easily than before. I can hardly believe the “me” of today is so superior, physical-wise, to the “Me” of last year!

I’m not able to do the inverse wrist stretches, mind you, and “camel” hah! is not even really an option. Be that as it may, however, I did make certain to substitute in my karate stretches whenever possible – standing side leg, split leg, etc. The good news there – I can virtually (almost!) attain a 170 degree angle and sit on the floor when I try to stretch out the right leg (yay!). It’s been 2 months now that I’ve been practicing splits on and off…it’s really coming together.

And that’s day 24,

Barbara

ps – some nice P90x goodies include:

P90x Fitness – Does it really work? Reviews, resources, links and more

Morning,

Well! Today will be day 24 that I’ve been doing the P90x fitness package and let me tell you, if you’re wondering

  • Is this the REAL deal?

I can say without a doubt…..YES! And you can even get it at discounts like I did like below:

I started P90x a month or so after getting surgery to remove a bone tumor on my right femur. Since then, I have faithfully done it every day and have found the claims really are true. If you follow the workouts and eat clean (she said, stating common sense), your muscles grow and your body slims.

I think the best part about P90x fitness is it forces you to work out different muscle groups each day. True, anyone can do this themselves….but I’ll confess, I’m the kind of person who needs to follow a guideline for it. Left to myself, I’d do the same routine week after week. It does help build muscle, but I’m seeing far better gains by doing it this way.

And I really love the different types of workouts that are included. One day is YogaX, fondly known by me as Yoga Death. It’s 90 minutes long and is by far the most difficult DVD in the whole package. I have become far more flexible than I thought possible! I utterly hate and despise this DVD…but wow, it delivers results.

Another fun DVD is Plyometrics, or “Jump Training”. The heart rate really zooms up there when you do all sorts of creative jumping, explosive movements. My favorite one has to be “swing the right leg over a high chair followed by the left leg and repeat” – it’s just like a crescent kick! That brings me to another point of P90x fitness – it has really helped my karate moves. The moves I cannot do due to physical limitations, I can substitute with karate kicks/blocks/etc. I really like the fact that you can modify everything to your own best abilities.

What else. Let’s see…the XStretch (60 minutes of stretching) is simply heaven – prior to P90x fitness I never realized how useful and beneficial stretching really can be. I’ve noticed vast improvements in my overall flexibility because of this as well.

Weight-lifting wise, my favorite DVDs are P90x Chest and Back because of the pullups and pushups (exercises of kings and queens!). Shoulders/arms creates an awesome burn, and Legs/back involve lots and lots of magnificent squats.

Here are some more resources for P90X:

Hope you find this useful!

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some great P90x discounts:

P90x Review, KenpoX – Week 4, Day 4, Total Days – 24

Howdy!

It’s truly amazing what your mind, body and spirit can handle when you give yourself permission to blast past any barriers known to mankind. :)

This morning, I woke up wondering if anyone got the license plate of the semi that ran over me (at least, that’s what it felt like!). So I figured I’d hold off on any workouts, and instead a.) sleep until the afternoon (ie, 5:30am or so), and b.) doing my workout later. Started working online, fed myself my beef bone/chili pepper soup, and began the workout.
I just finished Kenpo X. Remember, this is my recovery week (ha ha ha, I just love that delusion, recovery, ho ho ho :) . Actually, it really is, as no weight lifting is done, but still). Astonishingly, I felt in top shape, was totally ready to bring it, and did myself proud in the workout. I can now even pivot rather decently in those lovely jab/cross/hook/uppercut! moves!

I modified the workout as usual, mind you – during the jumping jacks, I did sitting-to-standing front kicks and side kicks. And I started doing a static stretch a friend showed me – I stand with my left hip to the wall, move away 2 feet, put up my left leg as high as it will go, and stretcccccccch. My gosh, do I feel that. Then I repeat to the right. Then I do my split stretches (I can get to 2 inches off the ground) and my hamstring stretches etc. I do miss Plyo with the Crescent-kicks-over-the-high-chair, but hey, that will come next week. :)

And that’s Day 24,

Barbara

ps – more Tony Horton goodies!

Evening hot baths, morning coffee, listening to your body wrt fitness and more

Morning,

Well! It’s just after 5am and amazingly, I have NOT yet done my morning workouts!

My gosh why, I hear you ask?

Simple! On Monday, I did massive DDR with the kids, Tuesday was P90x Core plus Cardio GoGo plus two hours of advanced karate including 10 minutes of boot camp plus one hour of Kendo and let me tell you, boys and girls, I’m feeling it this morning.

Yes, it’s true – apparently the body at 43 ain’t the same thing as the body at 23! My gosh, how I wish I had valued this fact back then. :) Ah well.

So! It’s time for (drumroll please) modifications. I’ll still do my workouts, of course, but modify them to suit whatever my body says I should do. Today’s P90x workout is Kenpo, and I’ll make certain to use my Goju-ryu moves during the majority of it. Hey, might as well improve the form! Pivots will be lessened and I’m going to focus instead on balance today.

And that brings me to the important topic of the day. MODIFY WHEN NECESSARY! You never have to damage yourself when working out – go to the level of which you are capable and make it work THERE, not some idiotic level that will end up causing massive amounts of hurt to your body.

Let me explain the title of this post. Last night, I made myself a hot bath after returning from karate/kendo, and ended up relaxing for 15 minutes (without any kids bashing thru the door saying,
“Mom, I sensed you were relaxing so here I am!” Amazing, that). Upon staggering out, I slathered Tiger Balm on my ankles/thighs/lower back, and made my way whimpering to the bed where I collapsed. After 5 minutes, one of my kids came in and said, ‘Mom, are you okay? I heard you making weird noises!’ Apparently I was mewling to myself as I tried to get comfortable, and didn’t even realize that! Talk about hearing sensitivity. :)

This morning upon waking up, my body tactfully told me, coffee. Massive amounts of coffee. Bless thy system and imbibe the drink of the angels and that favors life. So here I am with my morning coffee, feeling energy starting to flow back into my zombie-like self.

So many people over 40 challenge themselves to surpass their own expectations. I’m highly in favor of that; heck, I’ve done it again and again. But there does come a point where your body says, woah! Slow down and modify and when you’re recovered, pounce at full force once again….and THAT is a good thing to which to listen.

You can take that to the bank.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – if you enjoy hot baths like I do, consider:

P90x Review, Core Synergistics – Week 4, Day 2, Total Days – 23

Morning everyone,

Today I pressed PLAY at 2:30am or so and began day 2 of my recovery week (recovery week, ha ha, what a joke!). It was ‘core synergistics’ and my oh my, does that work the abs, core, thighs etc.

When you’re doing the DVD, you don’t think how killer it really is (except for the iso planks-to-chatarungas)…but when you’re done, WOW. Burn burn burn, burn baby burn! Ooof. I really felt that.

I ended up taking off my shoes and socks during some of the workout, and then chose to do karate moves during the Plyo stuff. I can really feel how much more flexible I am these days – it’s quite nice.

And that’s day 23,

Barbara

ps – some neat P90x discounts:

P90x Review – Yoga Death, Week 4, Day 1, Total Days – 22

Today starts my recovery week! Yay! If you can call it that!

Seriously! Yoga Death has to be one of the toughest, most killer DVDs out there. My muscles literally shake in some of the poses, and others…well, I have to do major modifications.

Still, though, I will admit – although I hate and despise this DVD with a passion, it’s utterly superb. I really feel the workout even hours afterwards! Wow. If you can handle it, it’s a perfect example of, it hurts so good.

So. Today I completed Yoga Death and this afternoon, will probably do DDR with the kids. Today they have off in honor of MLK day, so it will be a quiet day. Tomorrow is Core, the day after is Kenpo, and then XStretch (yay!).

And that’s Day 22,

Barbara

ps – Other P90x goodies:

Reflections – P90x Review XStretch – Week 3, Day 7, Total Days – 21

Morning!

Got up late yet again! 5am, the horrors, the horrors! Still, though, everyone was still sleeping, so I did the StretchX DVD.

I will admit, I really really really like this DVD. 3 months ago, you could never have sold me on how important stretching is, and how much more flexible your body can become – what I’ve lost out on over the years! Besides doing this DVD, I also try to stretch at least once a day in various positions during various History Channel presentations, and I can truly pinpoint the differences in my physical abilities.

21 days! I’ve completed 21 days! Yippee! And weirdly enough, I’ve lost inches on my waist/thighs and hips, but…gained a pound this week. I look slimmer but weigh more! I figure it must either be muscle gain, water retention, what have you….but as I freed myself from the tyranny of the scale, I’m not angsting over it what so ever.

So you know what Day 21 means, right? It means that this week, week 4, is the recovery week (if you can call it that – Yoga Death debuts not once but twice). And then I get to take Day 30 pictures! I’m looking forward to seeing the changes (and I finally have a reason to get a bikini too! :) ).

So…what have I learned about myself. Gosh, where to start. One, you can live your entire childhood/young adulthood/etc. with a pre-conceived notion of what you are capable of achieving (with my lousy bone-structure, let me tell you…it wasn’t much) and then in your 30s or 40s or 50s or what have you…you can give yourself permission to expand your boundaries and blast past every single one of your delusional barriers. Now, this is not just my P90x experience talking – it’s also my karate experience, my fighting-past-fear-even-when-I-was-petrified experience, my super-fast recovery from surgery experience, etc.

When you’re overweight and fat, you tend to gloss over your physical appearance and focus on your other traits and characteristics. That’s an excellent thing to do, after all – if you cannot appreciate yourself with regards to the way you look, feeling good about yourself for other purposes is simply a healthy thing to do.

But when you’ve lost the weight and realize, omigosh, I’m fit, I’m sexy, I’m in the best shape of my life, it really adds a profound confidence in the way you view yourself. Back in my college days, I never wore tank tops, I never went dancing, I never learned to ‘move and groove’ etc….and now? Now, I realize I can look phenomenal for my husband…and equally as important, for myself. I’m unbeatable!

If only I could have realized and internalized this in my college days!

Ah well, these things happen. But having gone thru this journey myself, I have made a promise that my kids will always know how to appreciate their own magnificence, be it their brains, creativity, common sense, beauty, etc. They’ll never feel less than others because of insecurity; they’ll know they’re the best.

To gain that lesson, I’d go thru my hell of a school life again and again. The most agonizing of your life’s experiences often deliver the best gifts of your life…if you give yourself permission to learn from them.

And that’s Day 21,

Barbara

ps – More Tony Horton goodies!

P90x Review Kenpo X – Week 3, Day 6, Total Days – 20

Evening everyone,

Due to other plans, my P90x workout actually happened in the wee hours of the morning…okay, at 6:30pm. :-)

Today was Kenpo X and as always, it was a great workout. I substituted a bunch of my traditional karate moves and managed to get a pretty good heart rate up there. Afterwards, I did 10 minutes of the Carmen Electra Vegas Cardio – it’s slow going I’ll admit, but my body is getting much much more flexible. Yay!

Tomorrow is XStretch, one of my favorite workouts. And then I’m in recovery week! Normally I’d say yippie! except apparently Yoga Death takes place not once but twice. Wah! Ah well. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some other nice P90x goodies:

P90x Review Legs Back Ab Ripper X – Week 3, Day 5, Total Days – 19

Morning!

Well, today yet again I got up at the most unoptimal time possible – 3:30am. I really should have gotten up at 12:30 so I’d have time to get back to sleep! 3:30am means I’m done with my workout at 5am…and by that time, it’s time to start work. Wah. I think I had it in my teeny tiny brain that my workout was only an hour today – I had forgotten about Ab Ripper X.

Ah well, these things happen. Legs and Back! Lots of lovely pullups and chinups and alas, I’m still at only 3 unassisted; the chair comes in really handy. This was the first time that I’ve gone to failure in the last round and emitted a “ARGH!” upon completion. :) I still want more, mind you, so this morning I’ll do the Cybex route for leg presses and such.

Ab Ripper X – I was able to do ALL 12 exercises for 25 counts EXCEPT obliques. Did only 17 on my left side, all on the right side. I’m definitely getting better!

I gave myself permission to miss karate yesterday and instead, practiced it at home. Now that my right thigh problem has been fixed, I’m noticing that my left ankle is really quite lousy. I’m pretty certain I have an exostoses in between my fibula/tibula near the ankle; I wonder if that could be removed? I’ll have to follow up on that.

Anywhos, karate at home! My balance is getting ‘way better, and the combination moves are actually coming together on my right side (left side is the one with zero balance). My kids joined me as well and we had a great time. I do regret missing Boot Camp, however. Must get that into the routine this weekend.

And that’s Day 19,

Barbara

ps – some neat Tony Horton DVDs and things:

P90x Review YogaX – Week 3, Day 4, Total Days – 18

Morning!

Well! 3 weeks of getting up at 12:30am or 3:30am etc. have finally caught up to me! I gave myself permission again to sleep late, and got up at 5:30am, full of energy. ‘Course, at that time, I had to dedicate myself to the kids and husband…so I started Yoga Death (my fond name for it) at 9am.

First, the good news. I’m getting stronger! It’s still ‘way killer for me to do and some poses had my arms literally shaking as they wanted to buckle (but I didn’t!). But! I can balance myself in the shoulder stand much much better, and can actually do a half-buttocked example of the runner’s pose. Crane stance, ain’t no way in heck I’m going to try that with my wrists yet….better to wait for them to gain in strength.

I was able to bend touch my face to my knees completely when doing the hamstring stretch (yay!) and also fold my knees over my ears when doing the plough hold. While in that position, I noticed…my legs are much thinner and my belly is much smaller! P90x really is helping deliver to me my fitness goals.

I don’t despise this DVD as much as I did before. It looks like I’ll be joining the ranks of people who at first hated it but then admitted…it grew on them.

Because I didn’t do my cardio this morning at the gym, I’ll probably try TurboJam or CardioTease and see how that treats me. And in the afternoon, hopefully it’s karate bootcamp (yay!) and then I can relax.

And that be Day 18,

Barbara

ps – more P90x discounts: