August 29, P90X3, Week 16, Day 6 (Elite)- Pilates X.

August 29, P90X3, Week 16, Day 6 (Elite)- Pilates X.

I enjoy Pilates X a lot. I got to the point where I am able to do all the moves and all the reps without tapping out or taking a break today. I really wanted to get through with no break and I ground out a satisfying end to the week. Now I can say, "I deserve my off day!"

I will say, though, that on the last move, The Pretzel, I am still not very happy with my range of motion. I keep noticing that I am moving my knee only and not raising my whole leg. I tried to do that today, but my ankle and foot didn't go up but a couple inches if that. I really need to keep working on my flexibility.

Looking forward to my day off and the Elite Week.

Have a great Friday and weekend, everyone!

August 28, P90X3, Week 16, Day 5 (Elite)- Complex Lower + Tennis.

August 28, P90X3, Week 16, Day 5 (Elite)- Complex Lower + Tennis.

 

I did it! This spells the end of the GRUELING part of the Elite Schedule. Only Pilates tomorrow and then the ELITE WEEK. It contains the less taxing routines, but can be very intense progressions in the program, but doable.

 

Today, was "Keep-up-with-Tony-and-team-at-all-costs" day. I didn't rush, but I didn't take any, NOT ANY extra rest time. No pausing the DVD, Just Go GO GO!!! Following Tony and Team. My heart rate spiked a few times, but I kept it in control. Thankful for no dizziness. Lots of shortness of breath, though. LOTS!!!

Kept the weights the same as last run through. Felt a little better, stronger to take the extra weight.

Burned over 750kcals, but started with Cold Start and did an extra long cool down. Heart rate was in the zone, but took longer to bring it down.

 

Great way to end the tough part of the week. But not over yet, one more day.

 

Got to relax a bit, then went to play tennis with my daughter. Not very intense as far as a workout is concerned, but I ran A lot. Seemed like a few Kilometers chasing the balls. Great fun!

August 27, P90X3, Week 16, Day 4 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper.

August 27, P90X3, Week 16, Day 4 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper.

This was the last time around for this routine in the P90X3 official program Elite schedule, so I really wanted to amp it up. So two things, I upped my weights by 1.25kgs per dumbbell and I didn't use the Pull up assist at all.

I didn't worry about keeping up with Tony on the Slow-mo Chin-Ups or the W-Pull-Ups.  As usual I did all the reps on the first round for both Ups. But I had to do a double split on them for the second round, and a triple split for the last two rounds.

I was able to kill the other three moves with no break. I really felt it again with the extra weight on the Lunge Thrust Presses.

I couldn't increase the Burnout this time around though. I stayed with what Tony did except for the Push-up Bird Dog Crunch. I did all 12.

I was really happy with this routine today.

X3 Ab Ripper, again, I tried to really push it, but I was almost totally spent when starting. No break after Complex Upper. But my nemesis moves, Dolphin Hops, Sphinx Crunch Hold, and Bridge Burners. I got further through them before cramping out. I was very happy to be able to do 5 of the Bridge Burners before I had to come down and do Lamaze breathing to relieve the pain.

I was able to almost get through all the Speed Bikes and most of the bonus reps.

August 26, P90X3, Week 16, Day 3 (Elite)- X3 Yoga.

August 26, P90X3, Week 16, Day 3 (Elite)- X3 Yoga.

Felt good to relax and stretch out. was a little off on my balance, but nothing big. It is interesting to see how much tighter my left hip is than my right. I need to roll out that side more. Great session!

August 25, P90X3, Week 16, Day 2 (Elite)- Complex Lower.

August 25, P90X3, Week 16, Day 2 (Elite)- Complex Lower.

Made it my goal to keep up with Tony and crew again.  It was literally "Breath Taking". I was so out of breath so many times until I got into my rhythm.  I would hammer out the first three moves Bang Bang Bang, then take a rest, then the final two moves, BANG BANG.

I would be doubled over trying to catch my breath  after the both groupings. Sometimes I was ahead of Tony and sometimes a bit behind, but ended right on time.

The big thing is that I was resolute to up my weights so I did. I added 1.25kgs to all four of my dumbbells. I could feel the difference right away with the Knee Drop Squats. Then I had to fight to keep from tipping over on the Bounding Split Squats. Really felt it in my quads today, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to feel it tomorrow.

I also tried to to extend my jump distance by almost double on the Triple Speed Skater.  My ankles felt really solid. A few times I over jumped and had to really fight to keep on one foot. Thankfully, no tapping out!

With the extra 2.5kgs from the past two weeks, I really REALLY felt it, especially in my lower back. This is the first time I've pushed my back this block and I really felt it starting to tighten up. That is the one thing that really stopped me from jumping ahead of Tony, because I had to stretch out my back a bit after each set.  But today, I didn't stop between reps, I hammered out all ten in one sitting.
The final move was strong. I was able to hold all reps for all 5 seconds. I did lose my balance a few times, but I was really fighting to to keep stabilized.

I didn't think I would have time today, but the fast pace gave me time so I ended with Cold Start. It really was a great lower body stretch for today.

Over all, great workout. And I burned 749kcals.

August 24, P90X3, Week 16, Day 1 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + 3 hours recreational swimming.

August 24, P90X3, Week 16, Day 1 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + 3 hours recreational swimming.

I was planning on doing my workout in the early afternoon, but unbeknownst to me, my afternoon was already planned. Around noon, I was told that I was going to be taking my daughter swimming at the big swimming resort in the city. So I had to get going on my workout to finish in time to leave.
I was determined to keep up with Tony and team today. I nailed it! I was totally dying at the end of Complex Upper. I didn't keep up with all the moves, but I didn't take any extra breaks and I had to make up time by shortening the breaks. 

The first 12 Slow-Mo Chin-Ups were awesome in the first set. I felt good. Then for the subsequent sets, I lowered it to an 8-4 split for the next three sets. I usually get in a 4-4-4 split, but today was better. The same goes for the W Pull-Ups, no 4-4-4 split. I had to stop after 8 because my lat are BURNING!!!

I felt really strong with the X-Plyo Push-Ups. Hammered them out every set. As well as the 12 Lunge Thrust Press. Non-stop Burn.

The final move, Push-Up Bird Dog Crunch, I felt really good and I really had the feel for my balance today.  The final set, though, as always was KILLER! Tony is MEAN!!! Unless you've done Complex Upper you won't understand why, but if you've done it. I'm sure you agree.

X3 Ab Ripper was a bang from the start. As always, move 4, Sphinx Crunch Hold killed me after the first four reps. I had to come down. Couldn't hold the plank the whole time. But the worst move is move 7, Bridge Burners. I just can't keep the the boat position past the third rep. That is such a killer move at the second to last move is the worst. I have not been able to hold boat all the way through the once yet. I think I'm a ways off from that yet, but I'm hoping to get there eventually.

I made it through all 100 of the Speed Bike, but I could not do the bonus slow ten all the way without a tap out. But I did eventually do all the bonus.

Burned over 800kcals!

Had a quick lunch and went swimming with my daughter. Running from attraction to attraction, from pool to pool, slide to slide, we had a blast for 3+ hours. It even rained while we were there and that was one of my daughter's dreams, to play in a heavy rain. It was great! 

August 22, P90X3, Week 15, Day 6 (Elite)- Pilates X + Tennis.

August 22, P90X3, Week 15, Day 6 (Elite)- Pilates X + Tennis.

As far as the Pilates X goes, it was a good workout. I really tried to focus on range of motion today. My hip popped a few times and that freaked me out! But it's all good.

Right after Pilates X, I went and played 3+ hours of tennis in the hot hot sun with my son. We drilled and warmed up for about 30 minutes, then we played a match, or should I say, we played sets. Again, I will be silent about the score. But by the end of the time, I was spent. Luckily my daughter came and we let her play with us for another 30 minutes or so. I could take it easy a little.

Great way to end the week. But I will probably do a lot of foam rolling tomorrow if time permits. 

Welcome to the WEEKEND REST!!!

August 21, P90X3, Week 15, Day 5 (Elite)- Complex Lower + 3 hours of yard work.

August 21, P90X3, Week 15, Day 5 (Elite)- Complex Lower + 3 hours of yard work.

I've been wanting to get the yard mowed and cleaned up for a couple weeks now, but didn't have the chance because of the weather. Rain rain rain. Finally got a good, but hot and sunny day. Got the whole yard mowed, raked and cleared. It was raining from my hat!

Later this afternoon, I got in Complex Lower. I wanted to up my weights, but decided not to because I just didn't feel in the groove. Glad I didn't, because the present weight was more than enough. Legs are barking. Great workout, got a bit behind Tony's pace though.  I really like Complex Lower, but I noticed one thing, There aren't any moves that focus on the calf muscle. Is there a reason for that? There has always been some sort of "to the toes" move on other lower body routines, but that is missing from this one. Just a thought.

Great workout! Not sure how much I burned with the yard work, but with Cold Start and Complex Lower, I torched over 750kcals! BAM!!!

August 20, P90X3, Week 15, Day 4 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper.

August 20, P90X3, Week 15, Day 4 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper.

AGAIN, not much sleep. Preparing for a busy weekend. Felt a bit off today. Couldn't do the first round of chin ups and pull ups straight as I usually do, so I split it 8-4. The other rounds were par for the routine. The one positive thing today is that I was able to keep up with Tony and team, I did pause a little extra between rounds, but kept up during the rounds.

Keep on pushing, No matter what!!!

August 19, P90X3, Week 15, Day 3 (Elite)- X3 Yoga.

August 19, P90X3, Week 15, Day 3 (Elite)- X3 Yoga.

Boy, did I need this stretch today. Although I wasn't too sore, I was tight. I remember when I first did X3 Yoga, it was short, but at the same time, seemed long. Now, it is almost too short. I just want it to continue. Once I've finished P90X3, I'll probably go back to do X2 Yoga more. But how will 70 minutes feel after just 30?

Everything worked smoothly today. This was the best I've done the balance moves collectively. I was very happy. No tap outs at all. Almost tapped out once on the Toe Bind move, but held it to the end.

Felt great!

August 18, P90X3, Week 15, Day 2 (Elite)- Complex Lower.

August 18, P90X3, Week 15, Day 2 (Elite)- Complex Lower.

Was a little nervous about today's workout. Didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked. I'm going to have to work on that harder. But once I started, I was able to keep a good pace.
17kgsX2 is a good weight for the Knee Drop Squat. They brought the pain and the shake for all four rounds.

 10kgsX2 for the Bounding Split Squat may be a bit light now. I may go up 2.5kgs next time.
Triple Speed Skater is a good recovery move.

Ds Double L weight is only 10kgsX2. If it was just the squat and the lunge, I would use 17kgs or even 22kgs. But because of the Dead Lift, I keep it where it is. My lower back is extremely week and because of the two compressed disks, I don't want to go for anything much heavier for now.
The Stabilizer is a great move, and I almost cramp my butt in the fourth round every time.

Great workout today. I was almost able to keep up with Tony. I was close, but in the end, lagged behind by about 5 minutes.

Have a good week everyone!

August 17, P90X3, Week 15, Day 1 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Tennis.

August 17, P90X3, Week 15, Day 1 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Tennis.

Went to bed late the night before so wasn't in top condition today. A bit of pressure between the temples.

When I started the workout, all though out the warm up I was thinking, I'm just going to start off with the assist band on the chin ups. I really was going to go a little easier today because I knew I was going to play tennis in the heat of the day and I didn't want to get too tired.  When it came right down to it, I took the assist band down and went free for the first round. I probably would have regretted it if I had used the assist on the first set.

It was a great workout. Getting a little faster, keeping up a little better. The weird thing is this, round 1, chin ups and pull ups are unassisted. Round 2, need the assist with an 8-4 split. Round 3, 4-4-4 split on both chin ups and pull ups. Burning out fast. But come to round 4 and the burnout, I'm able to do the 8-4 split again. Feeling good on rep 5 and 6, really starting to struggle on rep 7, barely getting up on rep 8. Foot down for a couple of breaths, then finish out the last 4. Gotta love the bar!  All the other moves are fine.

X3 Ab Ripper is still really tough. The first three moves are fine, but Sphinx Crunch Hold has always been a problem, especially with the right side. My right glute always feels like it is cramping. Today, it didn't feel that bad. I'm attributing that to the foam rolling yesterday. Must have really loosened it up. But for all the moves, I'm barely holding on till the last rep.  Today was the first time I was able to go straight through and do the bonus 10 on the final move, Speed Bike. Kind of happy about that.
Had a quick lunch, then it was off to the tennis court with my son. It has been almost 3 months since we last played. Warmed up and drilled for about 30 minutes then played a game. I was asked not to put the score, so I won't. Suffice it to say that experience prevailed.  But he is getting better. The day is coming, if he sticks with it, that he will beat me soundly. I'm sure he will insist I put the score up then. hehe... It was so bright and hot. And I was tired from my X3 workout, but I pushed through. Such a great way to start off my workout week.

Hope Ya'll have a great week as well!

August 15, P90X3, Week 14, Day 6 (Elite)- Pilates X.

August 15, P90X3, Week 14, Day 6 (Elite)- Pilates X.

I was in need of this one, too! Thankfully, I wasn't as sore as I was earlier in the week with the first round of the Elite Schedule. But I have two more weeks of this. Hopefully this is going to make me stronger.

Today, Pilates X really got my core. I still can't move my legs up and down as fast as Tony can. I hope to get to that level someday. I was able to get through all the moves without too much difficulty. But with a lot of the moves past the 15 minute mark, I was barely making it to the last rep before collapsing. Got a nice moist cover of sweat.

Way to ease into the weekend and my off day. Have a great weekend everyone!
One thing I did try before my workout was a weighted pull up. I just wanted to see if I could do a pull up with my daughter on my back. She weighs 30kgs. I could only do one. After Pilates, I did one pull up and about 3/4 a chin up. I couldn't get all the way over the bar. Now my hands won't open naturally. hehe.

August 14, P90X3, Week 14, Day 5 (Elite)- Complex Lower + Ping Pong.

August 14, P90X3, Week 14, Day 5 (Elite)- Complex Lower + Ping Pong.

I knew what was coming, and it totally came and got me. Oh man, what a workout. Again, I wanted to keep up with Tony, but I fell behind a bit. Not as far behind has Complex Upper, but working the legs and butt, really got my heart rate up there. I never got light headed or dizzy, but I knew I needed to take it a little slower.  I will say that I felt a touch better than the first time I did this routing on Monday.  Now that I knew what to expect, I felt a lot more stable and prepared mentally to take on the task.

In the middle of my final go with the Knee Dip Squats, my wife called up to me and asked, "Are you almost finished? Do you want to play tennis for 2 hours in an hour?" I was like "Okay... sure." My legs were taking a beating, but really wanted to do something fun with the family again.  We had played Foosball and Mini Ping Pong earlier in the day, but the last time we played tennis was so fun, they wanted to go again. So we planned to go. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate so we ended up playing Ping Pong for an hour. Within the first 10 minutes, I was drenched. Not because the ping pong was that tough, rather, the gym where the tables were was like a sauna. We had a great time.

Burned a total of 1000+kcals today. 700+ with X3, and 300+ at ping pong. Tomorrow is the last day of vacation. Hope to do something fun.  I wonder how many kcals I lost playing Foosball? :-)

August 13, P90X3, Week 14, Day 4 (Elite)- Complex Upper.

August 13, P90X3, Week 14, Day 4 (Elite)- Complex Upper.

Pretty much a carbon copy of this workout on Sunday. I tried to keep up with Tony and friends, but the chin ups and pull ups were just too much. My heart rate was racing. Started with Cold Start, did Complex Upper, and ended with X3 Ab Ripper. In about 80 minutes, I burned over 1000kcals. I was sweating buckets, and as I said, my heart rate racing. Felt good, though. A couple times I had to pause the DVD to catch my breath. Okay, more than a couple times.

Good News! I got my transmitter for my Polar and used it today. Very happy to see those numbers roll again.

August 12, P90X3, Week 14, Day 3 (Elite)- X3 Yoga + Tennis/Running.

August 12, P90X3, Week 14, Day 3 (Elite)- X3 Yoga + Tennis/Running.

Really needed my yoga today. Still had some lingering soreness from both Complexes. Was a little tight on the first few moves, but once I got going, muscles warmed up nicely. No Cold Start today, just got right into it.

In the evening, I went to play tennis with my family, and since my son had his lesson at the same park, I played with my wife and daughter. It wasn't competitive, but I had a great workout running for everything in or out of the court. I just tried to get everything back and to a place where they could hit the ball. Two hours of running. I really wish I had my heart rate monitor on. I think I burned over 1000kcals. So much fun with my ladies!

August 11, P90X3, Week 14, Day 2 (Elite)- Complex Lower.

August 11, P90X3, Week 14, Day 2 (Elite)- Complex Lower.

I'm starting to like the small set cycles. It is a lot easier to see the finish line in that style.
Today, I burned out my legs and butt. I went heavy on the the Knee Drop Squat at 34kgs. The real burn started from the second set.

The Bounding Split Squat was a tough one again. Kept the same weight as yesterday's move, 10kgsX2. I was able to keep the move clean all four sets. Although I was a bit slower than Tony's pace in the final set. This move really took it out of me.

Triple Speed Skater is sort of a recovery move for me. I am unable to do it very widely because of my limited space. So instead of going for distance, I jump for height. OUCH!!!

DS Double L is probably the most intense move in this cycle. It is actually 4 moves in one. It is my first time doing this routine so I just wanted to be safe for my back on this one with the dead lift. So I only went with 20kgs.  I'll go up a bit next time I think. But just doing all those moves is really tiring.

The final move, The Stabilizer, is tough. It was actually not that bad for the first three sets, but that final set was a killer. I started to cramp on my right butt cheek so I had to lower my leg about half way, but I was able to keep my hip up.

I was SOOO thankful that there was no burn out today. I was totally spent. I'm dying to know how many calories I burned. I hope to get my new transmitter this Wednesday.

One word about the worksheets. The worksheet for Complex Lower is a bit odd. Sets 1 and 3 are fine, but sets 2 and 4 are missing the "wt." line where it should be, and it adds a "wt." line where it is not needed.  Is that just me, or does everyone have that issue with this worksheet.

This is the last workout of P90X3 for me to do. I have officially done all the workouts in this program! Very happy to get through everything. Now, Just a few more weeks and I'll be totally finished the program.

Really looking forward to stretching out tomorrow! I need it!

August 10, P90X3, Week 14, Day 1 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Swimming.

August 10, P90X3, Week 14, Day 1 (Elite)- Complex Upper + X3 Ab Ripper + Swimming.

I was a little nervous about this routine. I'm not the best with repetition and this routine is 5 moves in 4.5 sets.

The first set went without a hitch. I completed all the moves with no problem.  The second set was a lot tougher. I really didn't want to, but I ended up using the pull-up assist the rest of the way through.  The Slow Mo Chin ups really took it out of me and wasn't able to recover enough to not use the assist. For the rest of the sets and for both the chin-ups and W Pull-ups, I used the assist. I was able to complete the sets of 12.

Move two, X Plyo Push ups, Were good, I was able to all the reps in all the sets. I could have gone for more than eight reps. For move three, I used 10kgs in each hand. WOW, that was tough, but I pushed through with all four sets. 

Move five was good for the first three sets. But in the fourth set, when Tony was pushing for longer holds, I could not hang. That was so much tougher. I had to come down several times.
The Burn Out did exactly that, it burned me out. Any strength I had left got burned up in the Burn Out. If it was a full set, I would not have lasted.

I was not able to do the Cold Start because I was sort of pushed for time suddenly because my daughter wanted to go swimming and so I went swimming with her.  We were in the pool for about 90 minutes. Any reserve I had stored up was totally used up with the swimming. My legs and shoulders are screaming! I had a great time though!

A big BAD thing happened to me though this week. The transmitter strap for my heart rate monitor died.  On Friday, according to my HRM, I died at 681kcals, so, I may have burned more.  When I put it on today, I was still dead. So I ordered one today, and it is supposed to get here on Wednesday.  So no "calories burned" stats. I'm still going to run the HRM to get the time logged.

Great way for me to start the week and the Elite Block off.

August 8, P90X3, Week 13, Day 6 (Block 3)- Fit Test + YAYOG: Intermediate-Ladders.

August 8, P90X3, Week 13, Day 6 (Block 3)- Fit Test + YAYOG: Intermediate-Ladders.

Thanks to you all for your support and encouragement these past three months. I made it to the end of P90X3 Classic Schedule. Here is the round up for my fit test Day 1 to Day 90:  Unlike Day 1, before doing the fit test, instead of just free styling it for my warm up, I did Cold Start, just to stay consistent. Great warm up!

Resting Heart Rate: D1-62, D90-64

Pull-ups: D1-16, D90-18 (quite disappointed, only +2)

Vertical Leap: D1-40cm, D90-60cm (Totally Shocked!)

Push-ups: D1-45, D90-56 (a bit disappointed)

Toe Touch/Flexibility Test: D1-+8cm, D90-+15.5cm (Happy)

Wall Squat: D1-2m 06s, D90-2m 43s (Quads are screaming.)

Bicep Curls (12kgs): D1-12reps, D90-25reps (Very happy/shocked)

In and Outs: D1-55, D90-83 (Somewhat Happy)

Heart Rate Maximizer (after 2m of Jumping Jacks, Right after, then each consecutive minute for 4 minutes):

D1-150, D90-154
D1-124, D90-124
D1-111, D90-105
D1-103, D90-93
D1-97, D90- 85 (Not sure what that means. Can someone explain if this is good, bad, or ugly.)

Surprisingly, I got a nice pump and a painful burn from going for failure on each move.
Right after finished the Fit Test, I did YAYOG (You Are Your Own Gym) Intermediate- Ladders. Four moves, Side squats, Roman Lunges, Push-ups, Thumbs Up. The first two moves are done consecutively starting with 1 rep, then going up to 4 reps then back down to 1 rep, twice. Then the last two moves in the same pattern. It started off rather easily, but by the middle of the second ladder, I was having to really push it.  YAYOG is a great little program to supplement any routine.

When all was said and done, I burned over 680kcals today. A lot more than I had expected. Very happy to have my day off. Thank you all again for standing by me in this journey! I couldn't have grown as much as I did without your love and support.  A special thanks to all those who "Liked" my daily reports, and those who posted words of encouragement and support. It meant more to me than you know.

Can't wait to start the Elite Schedule on Sunday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

August 7, P90X3, Week 13, Day 5 (Block 3)- Dynamix.

August 7, P90X3, Week 13, Day 5 (Block 3)- Dynamix.

I had forgotten what this workout was about. Then when I started it, the memories came back. It is not really intended to be a killer routine, rather an athletic prep routine. I did Cold Start before doing Dynamix, but for this workout, I guess I really don't need to because a lot of the moves from cold start are in the main body of the workout itself. So I guess you could call it a glorified Cold Start.
But that fit right in to where I am now, in a transition week, I guess you could call it a recovery week. Not doing anything too strenuous. Just trying to increase flexibility and range of motion.  Trying to be able to do moves without cramping so quickly.  It definitely served its purpose. I felt really loose today and relaxed.

My big question is  to see whether or not I'm going to follow the schedule tomorrow and take a day off. I may just do a simple routine instead of a day off, since I'm going to do the Elite Part for the next month.

Kind of surprised that I burned close to 400kcals today on this routine, but happy about it.

August 6, P90X3, Week 13, Day 4 (Block 3)- Pilates X.

August 6, P90X3, Week 13, Day 4 (Block 3)- Pilates X.

Felt really good today. Got a lot of sleep and had a good breakfast. Relaxed and did some correspondence.

By the time I started my workout, I was raring to go. It was awesome. I really tried to focus on range of motion, and keeping my pace tied to Tony's pace. The first 15 moves were really solid. But the really tough moves came from move 16. Scissor Side Plank. That plank series consisting of the Scissor Side Plank, Sphinx Flag, Clam Killer, and T's T, is like running a gauntlet. Just so tough. Had to really push it. I wasn't able to get off my hip on T's T. My butt started to cramp a bit, but I pushed through.

It was a great workout. I really felt like I made some improvement over last time.

August 5, P90X3, Week 13, Day 3 (Block 3)- X3 Yoga + Tennis.

August 5, P90X3, Week 13, Day 3 (Block 3)- X3 Yoga + Tennis.

Started today with tennis. Again in a steam box. But I had a fan on me but I still dripped and sprayed like crazy. I had a good game. A lot more consistent than previous sessions. Not as "Flashy", but struck the ball well and moved well. Didn't wear the brace today, but had no pain. Final score: 6-2, 6-2,6-3.

Right after tennis, I went directly into X3 Yoga. That was a first. I didn't do cold start because I was already very warmed up. But I was dripping. So when I was in a down dog position, the sweat was just a dripping off me. This was probably the best I've done this routine. It was probably that good because I was really warm and my body was very loose.

It was a great day today!

August 4, P90X3, Week 13, Day 2 (Block 3)-Accelerator.

August 4, P90X3, Week 13, Day 2 (Block 3)-Accelerator.

I was kind of lazy today. Didn't do much that one might consider productive, but just sort of recharged. I did go on a date with my wife and had some ice cream together. But that just motivated me to workout when I got home.

Accelerator is an awesome cardio workout. I was able to hit every move hard, and I was able to bring it for the full time... EXCEPT for one version of move. The Squats, the lunges, the jumps, the agility moves, were great. The one move was the Plank Circles and Plank Walkers. I just couldn't hold on for the whole time. One thing, again, is that I don't have the space to actually do the move with perfect form. I have to put my butt up at different time during the circle. and I can't really follow Tony's directions on the Plank Walkers, I just change directions when he says to change. I had to come out at 25-30 seconds for a quick breath then get back into it.

The next problem move was the Plank/Sphinx Combo. I'm not 100% sure that the leg raise time between the right and left is even. I think the Right Leg is up more than 20% of the time. So I tried to even it up a bit.

It was a great workout. All in all, I burned over 600kcals with Cold Start to begin the workout.

August 3, P90X3, Week 13, Day 1 (Block 3)-Isometrix.

August 3, P90X3, Week 13, Day 1 (Block 3)-Isometrix.

I made it to the final week of the Classic Schedule! I can't believe I'm almost done with it. I'm glad to get this Transition week in. The schedule calls it the VICTORY week, but I'm calling it a transition week because I'm planning on doing the additional 4 week Elite Schedule to finish.

Isometrix is a great workout just to test your balance and to see how the other workouts are helping you progress with regards to strengthening the smaller support muscles and tendons. The first time I did this I couldn't hold anything for longer than 20 seconds. I had to tap out in the double digits and my feet would be in great pain, especially my arches.

Today, was the best I've done. I started out strong with the first cycle. I could feel a little tension coming with the second cycle. I sort of stabilized with the right side of the third cycle, but my left side started showing weakness. I was VERY happy with the stability of my Royal Dancer on both sides. That was a first for me. Fourth cycle started the pain.  For some reason, the One Arm Sphinx was really tough. I was able to keep my hips more square than ever today though, which is a huge step for me.  Tony says that the weight should be distributed evenly between both feet, but I find that the foot opposite the extended arm is bearing most of my weight. I just can get to 50/50 on the weight distribution. Left side was really getting hard.  I love the Tree pose! Very strong and stable today, almost no shake.

I was EXTREMELY happy with cycle 5. This was the best I had ever done Warrior 3... EVER. I was stable with almost no shake, especially my right side. I had to tap out a couple times on my left, but stable. Cycle 6 with Bound Dog was awesome. Inner Balance was the best again so far. I tapped only 5 times on the right, and ONLY TWICE on the left. I really found my center that time. Cycle 7, as usual humbled me. Although I was the most stable so far, I had to tap out about 2 times on both sides with the Bound Dog Leg Lift. That is just a tough move. In Moon Dog, I tried to get my leg as high as possible, but my butt started to cramp so I had to let it down some.

I was extremely happy with my performance today.  That is how I wanted to start Week 13, with a BANG!

August 1, P90X3, Week 12, Day 6 (Block 3)- Eccentric Lower.

August 1, P90X3, Week 12, Day 6 (Block 3)- Eccentric Lower.

Odd day today. Played tennis in the morning. Couldn't do EL at the gym because I had no weights so I had to do my X3 when I came home.

Tennis felt really good today. But because of another typhoon, the temps were not bad, but the humidity was out of this world. Especially in the gym I am at that has almost zero convection or ventilation, the air just sits and you sweat like crazy. After a couple hours, it was like I was standing in a puddle. I mopped it up, but within minutes it was back. My clothes were like I had just jumped into a pool and climbed out and started playing tennis. Yes, that bad! I could have kept playing, but the slipping and sliding made play a bit dangerous so we quit.  A lot of good shots, a couple lulls in concentration, but all in all, great match. Love the knock down drag out rallies we had. Those are the funnest! Final score, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4.  I forgot my brace today so I was trying to be a little tentative with my knee. Eventually got into a rhythm and didn't worry about my knee. No tweaks at all this time around.  Very happy about that.

A few hours later, at home, I did my workout, P90X3: Eccentric Lower. I really wanted to push it so for the first few moves where I can go really heavy, I went really heavy. I went up from 19.5 to 22kgs x2. I felt good with that weight. But the squats really pushed my gluts, so when I did the weightless moves, like Side Kicks, I had a very slight cramp in my butt and hand to pull back. All the other weights were the same as before except for the Cross Reach, I upped the weight to 7.5kgs from 6.25kgs. Actually, I felt a little more stable with the heavier weight. But again, my butt almost cramped and had to pull back a bit before the end. The other move that I almost cramped on wast the Bridge Kicks. Right leg up, left leg pushing up, my left hammy really tightened and I had to slowly pull out stretch out. Two more seconds and I would have been in serious pain because I felt that cramping pull of the muscle. I stretched it then went back to work with my foot a little further away. The final move, Calf Dog, on the first rep, my right calf almost cramped because I was going for some real range of motion and OUCH! Went a little too far too fast. Again had to pull back.
Burned over 600kcals in the workout. Very happy with the way I finished out the week. Something I've wanted to say for a long time about Eccentric workouts, I love the music. Reminds me of one of my favorite all time movies, Matrix, with that bass line. Awesome!

Woo Hoo Rest day tomorrow!, But this boy is definitely going to do some foam rolling. Missed it last weekend. Have a great weekend everyone!