Week 2, Day 2. T25-Alpha: Total Body Circuit + Tai Cheng: Neural Reboot P1 + Ward Off - Pull Back Combo.

Week 2, Day 2. T25-Alpha: Total Body Circuit + Tai Cheng: Neural Reboot P1 + Ward Off - Pull Back Combo.

I was really happy about going almost all the way with Cardio yesterday, so I was anxious to see how I would do today. In short, not a well. For some reason, I was feeling a bit heavy today with the push ups and Squats. I made it 10 minutes into the routine, then had to take a break. Then I took a couple of breaks until the burn out, then I was taking breaks (just about 10-15 seconds) every one to two moves. In the end, I added just over 5 minutes to the workout time not including the cool down. Got a good burn and torched a good 445kcals.

Today's Neural Reboot was good as usual. I getting used to the pattern and it goes by fast. Probably the fastest 19 minutes of my day. The combo today was quick, only 6+ minutes, but had good application. I like how Dr. Cheng keep reminding me to tuck my hips. That is something that I always don't do. I'm good with the shoulders being relaxed and head high and straight, but those hips! Man, I keep flaring them back. TUCK YOUR HIPS!!!

Week 2, Day 1. T25-Alpha: Cardio + Tai Cheng: Neural Reboot P1 + Lower and Lift-Phoenix Tail Combo.

Week 2, Day 1. T25-Alpha: Cardio + Tai Cheng: Neural Reboot P1 + Lower and Lift-Phoenix Tail Combo.

Today was a really hard day to begin with. My daughter had her Sports Festival at her school so I had to get up early to go and reserve a viewing spot and a lunch spot. Then running around in the hot sun for 8 hours taking pics and video. So proud of my daughter who won her races, and got second in the girls high-jump. But the activity just totally zapped my energy and I came home dead, and motivationless for anything active. UUGGGHHHHHH!

But after a relaxing amount of time with my video hobby, I gained some motivation and did the workout above.

This is the third time for me to do Cardio so I was hoping that I could hand with Shaun T for longer than 4 minutes before taking a stretch break for my arches and calves. I was able to hang with Shaun T for TWENTY MINUTES!!! I was so stoked! I was about to give it up at the first Burn Out, but I dug a little deeper and pushed through. But by the beginning of the second Burn Out, my arches were just killing me, especially after the Speed and Agility progression. OUCH! I had to stop. I only stopped one more time after than, so I was really happy with my performance with T25-Alpha: Cardio. Great way to start off week two.

Week 2 of Tai Cheng starts, as you can see, with combinations. Week 1 had the single static moves one per day. The moves only took 7 minutes to go through. The combo's took 10 minutes. Plus the same Neural Reboot for Phase 1. Really needed that stretch after T25. The combination we went over today and the application of it is really feeding my Bruce Lee fetish! I remember how Bruce moved in his movies and this is just so awesome that I am starting to see and do something similar. I must remain calm... BRUCE RULES!!!

Have a great week everyone!

Week 1, Day 6. T25-Alpha: Lower Focus + Tai Cheng: w1d6.

Week 1, Day 6. T25-Alpha: Lower Focus + Tai Cheng: w1d6.

How in the world could someone do Cardio AND Lower Focus on the same day back-to-back? That is what was on the schedule for Day 5 of the first week of Alpha. My arches and calves were dying after the first 3+ minutes of the first run progression of Cardio, but to do that twice in a row with Lower Focus! Wow, that is CRR-AZZZZY!!!

Thank goodness I didn't have to do that. I still did a double but with Lower Focus and Tai Cheng. Still couldn't hang all the way with Shaun T and his crew through the first run progression, I had to stop with the regular Jacks. Right after finishing the double jacks, I couldn't continue with the singles, just too painful in my arches and calves. I walked it out for a few seconds, rewound the DVD, then started Regular Jacks from the beginning.  I had to do that several times in the course of the workout. I ended up adding 6 minutes to the routine, not including the Cool Down.  The other move that taxed me beyond was the Calf Hops. Arches just couldn't hang, too painful. On my right leg, the Calf Hops taxed my knee a bit and I had to bend my knee a little more than I did on my left. But I made it through.  Burned a good 350kcals on this routine.  This completes all the Alpha routines. For the next four weeks, I'll be cycling through these 5 routines and creating my foundation.

Tai Cheng today was good. I have gotten used to the Neural Reboot 1. I feel better balance because of Dr. Cheng's constant reminders. Like a fool, I keep forgetting to tuck my hips.  I like the Separate and Pull move. I really like the application part of the DVD. Really makes it practical.  This was the last static move in the series. Next week, apparently we will start combinations. FUN!!!

This brings me to the end of my first week of my new programs. It was a great week. I learned a lot and really got a good burn and churn from T25. I've said it before, but T25 combined with Tai Cheng is like a match made in heaven. They seem perfect to do in sync with each other.  Can't wait for week 2, but I'm going to enjoy and take advantage of my off day! Have a good weekend, everyone!

Week 1, Day 5. T25-Alpha: Cardio + Tai Cheng: w1d5.

Week 1, Day 5. T25-Alpha: Cardio + Tai Cheng: w1d5.

I was a little wary of this routine right when I started this program. Cardio just destroyed my arches and calves. I had to stop several times because I couldn't take the pain. This time, I felt a lot better. I still got destroyed by the first running progression. I still had to stop, but not as many times as I did the first time on Sunday. Burned a good 375kcals! This is a day that is a double on the schedule, but I am going to do the second program tomorrow and keep doing the second program.

Tai Cheng: Neural Reboot 1 + Press. This was a great. Took only one run through to get the move. Looking forward to more progressions!

Week 1, Day 4. T25-Alpha: Ab Intervals + Tai Cheng: w1d4.

Week 1, Day 4. T25-Alpha: Ab Intervals + Tai Cheng: w1d4.

Not a big calorie burn day, but really taxed my abs in this one. Thank goodness for the cardio recovery! Positioning my hands next to my butt or a little forward in the leg lift progressions and V-up progressions is so tough. I may as well put my arms in the air. But it was really tough to make the transitions between moves. Shaun T moves so fast between moves. This workout also took over 31 minutes because I was rewinding to learn the moves. Some different stuff today and I had some trouble with a few of the moves. Plank to Pike progression was also really tough.  I pushed through.

Alpha phase is 5 weeks long. When I saw that I was like, "What, I can jump right to the Beta phase." NO WAY! I think I'm going to need all five weeks to get ready for the Beta phase. This was tough! Glad to strengthen the old ab section, though!

Tai Cheng was great. But for some reason I just wasn't getting the move right, so I did the Tai Chi move twice. No problem, because it is only 7 minutes long. But I finally got the Pull Back move with the right hand motions and positions. Felt really good today.

Week 1, Day 3. T25-Alpha: Total Body Circuit + Tai Cheng: w1d3.

Week 1, Day 3. T25-Alpha: Total Body Circuit + Tai Cheng: w1d3.

 

CONFESSION: I am a "Pauser". Or more accurately, a "Rewinder". I rewind the DVD when I miss the beginning of a move, or when I can't keep up. Today, I added about 6 minutes to the 25 minutes. I don't know what it was about this routine, but I just couldn't hang without a few extra seconds of break between moves, especially at the end. I was able to hang with most of the push ups, but with the first round of Spider push ups, I had to take a break in the middle of the set, but the second time around in the Burn Out, I was able to keep it going the whole time.

The very final move, my knee started to wimp out, so I laid back and didn't go for as much range of motion. Overall a great workout. Burned 450kcals with this routine. that is about 80kcals more than the Cardio and Speed 1.0. Probably because of more leg work.

The biggest problem I am facing with these workouts is my floor is so wet with sweat, I squeak and slip around, so I'm constantly trying to wipe up and I get late to start a particular move. Just an excuse, yeah, I know. I should try just laying down a big towel and working out around that.

 

Tai Cheng, again, to the rescue. Great to use this as sort of a cool down and stretch after a rigorous workout. Today was Ward Off. Again, I really like the pace and repetitiveness of the move to get it engrained into my head. I am hoping that Dr. Cheng will start putting together the previous moves so I can remember them. I am starting to forget. I think I will probably review tomorrow if I have time. During the Neural Reboot 1, I found some hotspots on my calf that weren't there in previous days, so I'll probably do a little more foam rolling afterwards before heading off to bed.

 

In total, close to 700kcals torched today with my workout.

 

In the morning, I got up early because I wanted to beat the rain which was forecast for the afternoon, and mow my lawn. So I did the mowing, sweeping, raking, collecting of the grass in about 2.5 hours. a record for me. In the end, the rain never fell, but I'm glad I got it done. It was jungle-like out there!

Week 1, Day 2. T25-Alpha:Speed 1.0+ Tai Cheng: w1d2.

Week 1, Day 2. T25-Alpha:Speed 1.0+ Tai Cheng: w1d2.

 

Was wondering how my arches would hold up today, and they did pretty well. I will say one thing... THANK GOODNESS FOR THE STRETCH INTERLUDES. I think those saved me. If Shaun T kept going like he did in "Cardio" I don't know if I could have kept it going for the whole 25 minutes... Wait, WHAT? Can't keep it going for 25 minutes? Something is wrong with that picture. I have to keep it going no matter what, even if I must modify, KEEP IT GOING!!!

 

I never liked any of the "Dance" programs from BB mainly because I'm not a dancer and don't have the coordination for dancing. I respect those who do, but I feel like a clumsy ox when trying those dance moves. In Speed 1.0 there are a few moves that are suspiciously "Dance-like" in their movements. Up and Overs for one, it really felt like a variation on the "Running Man" move I've seen in the movies, etc.

 

Also, I did wear the knee brace today and my knee felt a lot better. I think I may use it regularly from now on. I did take it off when I started the next workout though.

 

Today's Tai Cheng was again a great relief with the stretch and foam rolling with the Neural Reboot 1. I'm really liking learning the moves at the pace Dr. Cheng is teaching them. I keep needing to check my posture and find that I am always not tucking my hips. Got to keep those hips tucked and vertical. Lots of fun and a great cool down after T25.

Week 1, Day 1. T25-Alpha: Cardio + Tai Cheng: w1d1.

Week 1, Day 1. T25-Alpha: Cardio + Tai Cheng: w1d1.

A friend and I are starting T25 today! I want to thank him for waiting for me to do this program together. I look forward to the support and encouragement we can give each other during the next 3 months of T25. I'm not sure I can follow the program exactly as prescribed, specifically, the double workout on the 5th day of each week, especially if I'm already doing a double program. With my schedule, time is an issue, especially on Thursdays. I will have to stretch that out and do 6 days and rest/stretch on Saturday. I just want to lay my cards out on the table at the start.

And Yes, you read it right, I'm doing a double program for the next 90 days. I was asking around about doing something like this. I got some good feedback and some negative feedback. All very helpful in making my final decision whether or not to do a double program. I am just testing it out for the first week to see how the programs mesh, and so far, it was like Shaun T and Dr. Cheng got together and planned their programs to be used in sync with each other... REALLY!

Cardio was not a terribly grueling routine, but if you are not used to it, it can get really tough at points.  For me, the very beginning progression was really tough on my ankles, calves and arches. The running progression really pounds the feet. The lunge and squat progressions are not at bad, but the running and agility progressions... OUCH on my feet.  There were a few moves, Get Ups, I think they're called that I had to modify because my knee started to feel a bit hyper-extended and I didn't want anything to happen. So instead of bringing my back foot in front of the front foot when standing up, I just brought it parallel. That seemed to work just as well.

The time went really fast! I was surprised at how fast the time went. I started my heart rate monitor right as I was pressing play, and when the routine was all done, I had burned only 377 kcals.

I soon popped in the DVD for Tai Cheng and did the week 1 day 1 program. Neural centering and the first move took about 28 minutes and it was interesting to see all the unique moves, stances, and ideas I had never seen or heard before.  The static exercises were nice, but the thing that hooked me was the focused foam rolling on my calves, exactly where I needed it after T25: Cardio.  I also love all that martial arts stuff so this was really fun for me.

Grand Total, 670+ Kcals burned on Day ONE of my new journey. I was very happy that I didn't feel like throwing up during or after today's workout like I did on Friday. But I pushed as hard as I could. I'm very happy with way I got started on my new journey!

September 2, P90X3, Week 17, Day 4/5 (Elite)- Dynamix + Pilates X.

September 2, P90X3, Week 17, Day 4/5 (Elite)- Dynamix + Pilates X.

Another double day today. It had been a while since I did Dynamix so I figured it would be a better fit with Pilates X. Not exactly. It was good, but a few of the same moves and such. A bit repetitive, but at the same time, really tough. A lot of side plank, leg lift/raise stuff. Got really loose in my hammys, though which is a good thing. Combine that with Cold Start and I'm doing a lot of stretching.

My front delts were really barking today after CVX yesterday, so it was really good to stretch the out.
All in all, I had a good workout. Cold Start, Dynamix and Pilates X.

I burned almost 800kcals.

September 1, P90X3, Week 17, Day 2/3 (Elite)- CVX + X3 Yoga.

September 1, P90X3, Week 17, Day 2/3 (Elite)- CVX + X3 Yoga.

Here goes the compressed Elite Week. On the schedule, day 2 was X3 Yoga, and day 2 is CVX. I combined them and did CVX first then X3 Yoga. Of course, I began with Cold Start. It's been over 2 months since I did CVX. I remembered the basic idea of the workout, but totally forgot how tough it was. I used my 5kg medicine ball as my weight and regretted it right away. I tried to focus on form and range of motion, and when appropriate, speed.

Right from the first move I was feeling it in my shoulder, then core, then my anterior deltoids. TOTAL AGONY! hehe. But I pressed on. The second time around was worse, but still pressed on.
In the second circuit, the side to side move was brutal. I was moving significantly slower than Tony was at first, but tried to maintain a good pace through each move. Was able to pick it up a bit the second time around.

Thank goodness for the third circuit where the first move is weightless. That was extremely kind of Tony to put that in there.  Sort of cooling down, but still as intense as all get out.  I was pretty much able to keep up and at pace, but needed an extra 30 second breather.

By the final circuit, I had caught my second wind and powered through both rounds.
I was back to the old Sprinkler action again. No AC during this workout and the room temps topped 32 degrees Celsius.

I went right into X3 Yoga. Felt really good. I did well, but felt my legs give a little on the long crescent poses. I had to come out of them a few times or I'd topple over. I lost my balance a bit on the Warrior 3 series and the Moon moves. My balance was surprisingly good in the balance section, though.  Odd. Tree, Toe Bind, Ted's Chair, Crow. Held them all with no tap out.

Over all, I was really happy with my workout today. Tomorrow is going to be another double day, the day before I leave for the US.

CONFESSION TIME: Over the years, I have treated my trips back to the US as decadent times. I didn't workout, and I would eat everything that I can't get in Japan to my heart's content. I have been fighting an inner battle as to what this trip was going to be like. I decided to bring workout clothes and shoes, heart rate monitor, workouts, and keep my schedule up. Not a program, per se, but to workout my regular 6-days a week. I will have to make myself set aside the time to workout. The eating thing is a whole different beast. I have a lot of people to meet and the main thing is to meet over a meal, usually a buffet. Wish me luck with that. I will really have to struggle with the strong temptation to eat like there is no tomorrow. And for me, after this trip, there really is no tomorrow to get that kind of food I crave/love. Mexican food is so hard to get here, aside from homemade. I did bite the bullet and decided to purchase the 3-day refresh and have resolved to do it while I'm in the US, and another one for when I get back to Japan. I'm about to enter a dark time. Wish me luck!

August 31, P90X3, Week 17, Day 1 (Elite)- Agility X + YAYOG-Novice TS.

August 31, P90X3, Week 17, Day 1 (Elite)- Agility X + YAYOG-Novice TS.

This is the very final week of my P90X3 program and it is going to be a little unorthodox. I have only 3 days before I have to take a trip for two weeks back to the US so I think I'm going to try and finish all the workouts in the two days, or at least the more intense routines scheduled for this week. We'll see what happens.

Today, I had to start my workout late because of home circumstances. I hoped to two routines today. First, good cardio workout today. Started off with Cold Start. It's been a while since I've done this routine, but I felt that I would do fine. I was able to keep up with Tony all the way through the entire workout... until the last move. Plyo Line Push-Ups, I just couldn't hold on, and I had to take a couple breaks.

My focus today was to go all out, and try to hit my max on each move. I was really breathing hard after each move, but tried to control my breathing and recover enough to do the next move.
After this routine, I was going to try CVX, but I asked my son if he wanted to start working out instead, and to my surprise, he said yes, so I started him on YAYOG since it is his first experience with working out. I did the Novice Timed Sets with him. He was dying and, but we had a good time. Had a great workout with my son.

Great way to start my final P90X3 Week!