4-29-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Balance + Power + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

4-29-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Balance + Power + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Today is a National holiday, but I had to work.  And the day off will be moved to next week so I can have the whole week off for a holiday called "Golden Week" here in Japan.  But since it was a holiday, I came home a little earlier than usual.  Actually, I was planning to take today off because I planned to go out for shopping with my girls and then eat an early dinner, but that didn't work out because my daughter was dead tired from the practice session of her new club, Field Hockey.  When she got home she went right to sleep and didn't wake up until past 5pm effectively putting any hope of shopping to rest.  So, I decided to go ahead and keep my regular schedule and workout.

I thought Balance + Power was an easy routine, but it was not.  The three circuits got progressively difficult and then the bonus round was a killer topper.  Rep counts were relatively low, but I was moaning and groaning on the last few reps.  All the moves started off easily, but got difficult real quick.  And on most of the balance moves, I had trouble keeping my balance and tapped out several times.  This also seemed like a total body workout because I got the burn from my feet to my shoulders and arms.  All that one-legged balance work is tougher than one might think.  But in each circuit, there was one move that particulary wasted me.  In the first circuit, it was the "Sphinx to Plank Roll Up".  The very first move, "Sphinx to Plank Plyo Bounce" was more fun and easier. But without that bounce, my core was howling.  I could only manage 8 reps.  In the second circuit, DEFINITELY, "Glute Bridge Roll Out" The first 10 reps were easy, but my hammys started to feel it in the second 10 and I was close to cramping on the last 4 or so reps.  Then my hammys felt rather tender for long after.  The third circuit, Well, ALL the moves were extreme killers, except the last move.  At one point I felt my heart pounding in my chest and my HR had jumped to 180bpm.  But went back to normal soon after.  In the bonus round, DEFINITELY, the last two moves, "Dumbbell Super Burpee" and "Plank Ball Crunch".  Bringing the dumbbells up for the press, three times on each side, maybe more, I had to tap out.  I saw using the same weight as Tony was, and I was dying.  I barely made the last rep of the final move.  Great sweat, Great workout.

I had already gotten a good core workout from a lot of these balance move, but I felt I should dig a little deeper, so I went with Extreme Core Circuit.  Man, did I ever feel the burn today.  Still used the 1kg hand weights.  Nice way to finish off the week.

Right after I finished, my daughter came and started to ask me if I was done.  I thought she was going to ask me to play badminton, but I was mistaken.  She actually asked me to fix her friend's bike.  So, not wanting to let her faith in me down, I went out to take a look.  The chain had gotten wedged between the frame and sprocket.  So I had to yank and jerk it out.  But I fixed it.  Hope my daughter was proud.

I got back and did my Splits and Flow.  Splits were good, getting low, feeling pain, but not in my knee so it was all in the right places.  Then the Flow was right on point.  Great way to close out the week.

In the end, I torched 961kcals.  Too bad I couldn't hit a grand.  Happy Off Day!!

4-28-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

4-28-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

TENNIS DAY!!! But first a story about last night.  I have two night classes, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. Last night, I was running to catch the signal to cross the street when suddenly I had a pain hit my knee.  Not quite sure what happened, but it sort of felt like a pinched nerve.  I got to the room and shook it out and did a little rubbing it and it felt better.  I was hoping it wouldn't affect tennis today. At first I didn't think we would be able to play, but things worked out so all was well.  Also, my partner plays with a 20 year old discount sporting store racket, so I let him use one of my reserve rackets and so he did.  His returns were noticeably more punchy, with a lot more zing to them.  It took me a little while to get used to the new level of play.  But in doing so, I had to raise my level of play as well.  While we were playing my knee started to act up again, the same type of pain as last night.  I sort of ran and took some weight off of it and squatted to stretch it out.  I think, though, as the level of play got more intense, the adrenaline rush became more intense and the pain disappeared, thank goodness.  We had another knock-down drag out match.  It took him a little long to get control of the racket, so I was able to take the first set 6-1.  But the second set was more competitive.  He was firing on all cylinders and blasting shots back like crazy.  It was all even at 3-3 when I unconsciously shifted into another gear and tore through the next three games taking the set 6-3.  We were only able to play a few games in a third set, but MAN, WAS THAT FUN!!!  After the match, I had torched a nice 900+kcals.

I had night class this evening, so I did my splits after class.  I added a few new ballistic stretches to loosen up more before the big push, so I'm also upgrading my stretch sequence to push even more.  I was a little afraid that my knee would be an issue, but it actually felt pretty good, and no pain at all.  Going for that goal!  The Flow was choice!

4-27-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + T25 - Gamma: Rip'T Up + Splits + TCF.

4-27-16 HY: P90X3 - Cold Start + T25 - Gamma: Rip'T Up + Splits + TCF.

ShakeO to start my day!  Gassing up for the workout.  Also started with Cold Start to give myself as much of an advantage as possible for the workout today.  I had forgotten what this routine was like.  I got a rude awakening to say the least.

It started off okay, but once I got into the meat of the routine, I was fried.  On some of the weighted moves I chose a heavy weight, on some I chose a little light weight, but keeping up with Shaun T's pace for a lot of the weighted moves was near impossible, but I did my best.  Then, the introduction of a lot of new move combinations was a bit difficult.  I had to rewind to catch the move then started over again.  But the most difficult thing was Shaun T's speed of transition between moves.  He went so fast, so by the time I caught my breath and was doing the next move, time was already about half done, so I had to rewind and start with a full line of time.  The one bright spot was the Push Ups. I was very happy that I was able to keep up with Shaun T for all the push up moves at his pace.  I kind of surprised myself.  There were several moves that a guy in the back went to the pull up bar.  So I did also.  I averaged between 8-10 reps. This routine winded me so many times I can't even count.  I was so far from a Straight 25 I won't even say anything about that.  But here is the weird thing.  I didn't really get a big pump, but I got a hugely major burn.  I can't explain it in the context of the scope of the routine.  On most of the weighted moves and body weight moves I was dying and almost cramping at times, but my muscles just weren't reacting accordingly.  I mean, I got a little pump, but nothing compared to what I get with the heavy weights.  I guess that is it right there.  But with heavy weights, I burn out with fewer reps, but here, the high rep count, I though, would still give me a good pump. Lesson learned.  By the end of the routine, with all the rewinding and extra breaks, I had added about 15 minutes to the 25 minutes.  I have to get that number down.  This is my new nemesis.  But I think I have to go back and try Alpha: Total Body Circuit to get that to Straight 25 level.

Moving into the Splits was a good cool down because I was breathing hard and sweating like crazy.  Again, was able to push it low and long.  And the Flow was premium.

In the end, I torched a solid 755kcals.  Nice way to start my day.

4-26-16 HY: Badminton + P90X2 - X2 Total Body + X2 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.

4-26-16 HY: Badminton + P90X2 -  X2 Total Body + X2 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.

Well, I got home at a good time to start my workout.  Luckily the rain had stopped and my daughter was home and the lilting request came, "Daddy, do you want to play badminton?" Oh, YEAH! So we played for close to an hour and a half.  It was really fun and the time went by really fast.  If the sun had stayed up longer we would have played longer.  I put my HRM on before we started playing so that served as my preliminary warm up.

I got started on my regular workout a lot later than I had wanted, but even then, no shortcuts. Full on workout today with X2.  I'm just sticking with the schedule for routine order so up today was X2 Total Body.  The routine is deceptively long, but when you factor out the warm up, it is only about 40 minutes long.  Only two rounds so I couldn't do the Body Beast thing with the weights so I stuck with the same weights on most of the moves because Tony does only one side in the first round and the other in the second round.  But the moves that has both sides in both rounds, I upped the weights a bit in the second round, but I kept the rep count both at 12reps.  The most brutal move was move 04/16.  The Switch Lunge Press.  It is odd because in the first round, one rep consisted of the front and back lunges, so it is like a double move.  But in the second round, each lunge was a rep.  So I had to pause the DVD and do the double move to keep even.  But the second round just about killed me.  I had to take a few mid-set breaks.  In fact, there were a lot of moves that really winded me and I needed a little extra recovery time because I was doubled over heaving to catch my breath.  Mule Kick Burpee is one of those moves.  I thought I could do like 10 to 12, but I ended up only doing 6/7, and I was dying big time.  That Crunchy Lever Pull-Up was also a killler.  I only pulled off 8/8 reps.  The Push-Up Side Arm Balance on medicine balls move, I had to modify because I don't have two medicine balls.  So instead of med balls, I used my foam roller.  And even though the balance issue is only forward and back, that need to keep that balance actually made the move a whole lot more intense and really forced me to activate my chest muscles a lot more.  The One Arm Chest Press was tough.  The right arm was fine, but on the left arm, in order to stabilize on the ball, I was flexing muscles in my back that I didn't know were necessary for that type of move.  Almost to the point of cramping.  But it was alright.  I had a lot of balance problems with the Warrior 3 move and 1/2 Chair move.  I hope that improves as time goes on.  Great workout. 

My core got a serious workout so I was planning not to do a core routine, but the X2 Ab Ripper started so quickly, I felt guilty for not doing it, so I just went ahead and did it. KILLER ROUTINE!!! I had to modify a few reps at the end on some of the tougher moves.  But it felt good to get that in.  Glad I did it.

Splits were great.  I had that low feeling and I pushed it lower than ever today.  Feels like I'll get full splits soon! And the Flow was spot on! Smooth and Clean.

In the end, I torched a big 1300+kcals.  Love these big burn days!

4-25-16 HY: T25 - Gamma: Speed 3.0 + Splits + TCF.

4-25-16 HY: T25 - Gamma: Speed 3.0 + Splits + TCF.

I wanted to get a good sleep and then wake up early and hammer out a good workout.  Just as I was going to bed, my son calls from Tokyo and wants to talk.  Since I haven't talked to him in a few days, we talk and I end up getting to bed a lot later than I had wanted.  But it was worth it, for sure!

I got up a lot later than I was planning, but that gave me a chance to sort of warm up some by just getting ready for the day.  I wasn't feeling that tight when I got started so I decided to not do Cold Start from P90X3 and jump right into the workout.  Oh, the past few times I did a morning workout, I did it before having breakfast.  Today, I had a ShakeO first and then did my daily routine.  I figured I would feel good being fueled up.  Two things, I think I do better on an empty stomach, and two, I KNOW I do better with Cold Start, especially for morning workouts.  I did feel light footed to begin with, but there were a couple troughs during the routine that didn't make me feel good.  I felt... off.  I don't know how else to explain it.  I was doing all the moves, but right at the beginning of Round 2 I was like feeling a bit light headed and dry-mouth-thirsty at the same time.  The light-headedness wasn't so bad that I felt I needed to stop, and it went away after a bit, but it was different.  But near the end of Level 1 of Round 2, I got a second wind and I felt more normal.  The good news is that I did a Straight 25.  There was just a little bit of an arch issue, but not that much.  I think this is my favorite of the "Speed" series.  I liked the fact that there was a good mix of standing moves and the on-the-ground moves.  It was almost like a really good full body workout.  Great routine all the way around.

Yesterday was an intense  core routine, so I didn't really feel the need to do an ab routine, so I went straight for the Splits.  I had that good feeling today, so I pushed it when I could, and when I had to.  Got low, passed my mark.  The Flow was also Smooth and Clean, just the way I like and expect it.

In the end, I torched 700+kcals.  Felt good to get things done in the morning and free up my evenings.

4-24-16 HY: P90X2- X2 Core + Splits + TCF + Fight.

4-24-16 HY: P90X2- X2 Core + Splits + TCF + Fight.

Yesterday was a true rest day, in that it was my Sabbath, plus, I had to give the sermon at my church so after it was finished, I was very relieved.  I usually don't take a nap after church, but yesterday, I felt like the pressure valve had been opened and I took a 2 hour nap.  My wife said I was sleeping so deeply, but not snoring.  I probably would have gone out to play badminton with my daughter, but unfortunately it was raining so no go.  Total rest.

Well, I finished all the resistance routines in Supreme 90 Day so now, I'm moving on to P90X2. Over the next few weeks, that program will be my main program with the other supplemental programs to support my goals.

Today, was also raining, so the outside projects I had planned didn't get done, so they will have to wait for the next sunny weekend. So my main exercise was my regular workout. As I said in my last entry, I was also considering ChaLEAN Extreme as my next program.  But with the number of routines and the length of said routines, ChaLEAN Extreme will serve me better later in the year.  So, I went with X2.

I was intending to go with just the resistance routines and keep doing T25 for my cardio, but I will try to work in the X2 Cardio routines where I can.  Today was sort of a middle of the road routine.  X2 Core is a good routine and has elements of both resistance and cardio, but after doing it, I felt really worked in the core and other areas upper and lower.  The routine is just under an hour, but I had forgotten how long the warm up was.  It went by quite fast.  I had to stop to watch and learn some moves so that got me some extra time.  But the first half is definitely not as intense as the second half.  The Swiss Ball Burpees and the Med. Ball Burpees, the other strength and core moves had me doubled over several times during the routine.  I got a great burn on my core.  That is why I didn't do a supplement ab routine today. I did all the required reps so the worksheet is pretty normal.  In fact, I'm not really sure why there's a worksheet for this routine.  I guess for the real beginner who can't get the required number or reps to keep track.  Below is my worksheet.

The Splits were good. I had that feeling of going down low so I went low and pushed it.  The Flow was Smooth and clean.

I had a fight session with my daughter and we made some videos of the fight.  So fun!

In the end, I torched 700+kcals.  Had a good day.

4-22-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day- Total Body + Splits + TCF.

4-22-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day- Total Body + Splits + TCF.

Today, I planned to get home early enough to get a full workout in before sunset. Well, I did get all the necessary elements in for a minimum workout, but I didn't have time for a full workout.  I would have but a series of short minor events took place eating 1 minute here and a minute there.  I ended up being about 15 minutes short of begin able to do a full workout.  The only thing I wasn't able to fit in was a core routine.  But the main routine had abs at the beginning so that sustained the core work for now.

SO, today is the final resistance routine from Supreme 90 Day.  I don't know if I'll go through it again, but I'm thinking to use it the week after next because I'll be on a short vacation then and I'll have the time.  But I think I might do either ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X2 again, mixed with T25.  I'm thinking of maybe moving up to Insanity once I finish Gamma. But as far as today's workout is concerned, this Total Body was tough, but as far as "Total Body" routines go, I'd probably have to rate it the lowest of all the other programs I have that have a "Total Body" routine.  The main reason is this.  It was too lower body oriented.  Lots of squats, lunges, sumo squats, etc.  It was like a legs, chest and a little shoulders.  Almost no arms and no calves.  But take away the "Total Body" label and it was a tough routine.  Push ups and Clap Push ups in the same circuit. WHY? That was tough.  The team did only 10 Clappers, but I did 15.  But in the other circuits I was feeling good.  I do really like the fact that there were a lot of cardio moves incorporated into the program which is one reason why I like this routine.  The cardio jump move at the end of the last three circuits really added something to the burn. On the final circuit, there is a move called Broad Jump.  First set, I jumped, turned around, then jumped again.  But on the final set, I did a series of 2-3 consecutive jumps.  That little variation made things a lot more interesting.

I enjoyed the routine, but I took a lot of time switching weighted plates from dumbbell to dumbbell.   But this is probably one of the fastest times I got through a routine without too long breaks.  I did get a big pump and burn from it.  Felt it was a great way to end the week.

The Splits were good and low.  Got that feeling again, so I tried to lean into each position.  The Flow was also very good.

In the end, I torched a solid 1100+kcals.  I got to a much needed off day.  Take an off day with me!

4-21-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

4-21-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

Tennis Day!  And for two weeks in a row it was a slug-fest!  Man was that fun!  I was able to stay in control of the match the whole time this week.  It was evenly matched today, but I was able to take more advantage of opportunities. I took the Match 6-1, 6-1.  However, the last two games of the second set were decided on the combined regular scoring and modified scoring because we only had time for one last run.  There were times when my opponent would hit the ball with such force it sounded like a canon coming off his racket.  And there were times when I could see the ball like it was a basketball and tee off on it.  Man, does that feel good.  Hope I can keep it going.

I wasn't able to get my Splits and Flow in until the evening, but I got them in.  There was one point where my right side splits went past that plateau and I was feeling really flexible.   Also, there was a point on the straddle splits that I felt really open and I went lower.  It felt really different.  I didn't feel anything blocking me from going lower.  Nothing that is except for the pain.  I really wanted to hold it for longer, but I couldn't.  But I think I'm getting past that plateau again. The Flow was ACES!

In the end, or actually, after the tennis, I torched 1050+kcals.  It was a brutal but AWESOME match.  Hope to do it again.

4-20-16 HY: P90X3: Cold Start + T25 - Beta: Upper Focus + Splits + TCF + Badminton.

4-20-16 HY: P90X3: Cold Start + T25 - Beta: Upper Focus + Splits + TCF + Badminton.

Wednesday means morning workout.  This will probably be a staple with my morning workouts, but Cold Start is a must.   I start of not being able to touch my toes, but by the end of it, I can touch past my toes. Just AWESOME!!

This was another routine that I had forgotten.  I also almost didn't do it because of the long upper body workout I did just a few hours earlier.  But I thought that maybe, this might, if I push through, help with some definition in my upper body, so I stuck with the schedule.  But I kept the weights down a bit because I wanted to be able to get through all the reps without dying.  I did well, and it wasn't that bad.  If I wasn't already sore, the weights I used would have been too light.  They were a little light, but I almost always got a burn at the end of weighted moves.  I really liked the move progressions in this routine as well.  They seemed very logical and well planned.

The Splits were tough.  Morning Splits always are.  But I was able to get to the mark and hold it. The Flow as also on par.

In the end, I torched just over 500kcals.

In the evening, I played badminton with my daughter.  A lot shorter than yesterday because she was tired.  I didn't wear an HRM, just had fun, and got a little sweaty!

4-19-16 HY: Badminton + Supreme 90 Day - Back & Bi's + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + Splits + TCF.

4-19-16 HY: Badminton + Supreme 90 Day - Back & Bi's + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + Splits + TCF.

LONG workout today.  I got home a little late from work so I wanted to get started right away so I wouldn't go too late, but then my daughter asked, "Daddy, can you play badminton with me?"  We were going to play yesterday, but a lonely call from my son sort of nixed those plans so I couldn't say no.  But this time, I figured I would just incorporate the badminton into my workout as sort of a warm up.  Well, it was more than just a warm up.  We ended up playing for an hour and it was intense.  We had some really knock down drag out rallies.  Smash after smash going for several exchanges.  We had a really good time.  On top of that, my right forearm was really feeling it.  I had my HRM on and that hour burned close to 400kcals alone.  My legs were rubber as well.  Thank goodness today was upper body.

2nd day soreness has set in, especially on my triceps.  Putting my arm out the window was painful because when my right arm is outstretched, it is leaning on the triceps. OUCH!!! So today is supposed to balance that out.  This had a total of 5 circuits.  The first one, as usual, is the core circuit.  But different from the other routines, today's core circuit had three rounds instead of the usual two rounds.  The remaining 4 circuits consisted of all Giant Sets, two back moves and one biceps move.  But the biceps move in the second circuit was an In & Out move, so double the number of reps.  That just burned my biceps out right off the bat.  Got a huge pump and burn. But to back up a bit, some of the back moves were a bit unorthodox in that they also required a lot of shoulder, particularly in the first two circuits.  The other back moves were just rows with different hand positions and angles. There were a lot of double moves throughout the routine.  It took a really long time to get through it because I had to raise the weights every set, but that gave me time to take a much needed breather. A lot of sweat and deep breathing for sure.

The mechanics of all the moves was easy, but the rep count and the increasing weights really took me to a different level today.  Felt really good.  But I have to be careful not to go as long as I did today.  Some people won't be happy.

The core circuit at the beginning of the resistance was tough, so, I wanted to just add a little more to book end that first core burn, so I did a round of Ab Ripper 200.  Man! Talk about BURN!  That little ab routine still kills.  Love Tony's shorts! LOL!

The Splits were good.  There was one particular round of straddle splits that felt really good and loose. I felt like I could go down really far and hold it. But, by this time it was pretty late so I didn't take that extra time to push lower.  But the next time I get that feeling, I'm going for it for sure.  The Flow was still the Flow!

In the end, after working out for over three and a half hours, I destroyed 1500+kcals.  Huge burn today coupled with a lot of fun! Just how I like it.

4-18-16 HY: P90X3- Cold Start + T25- Beta: Dynamic Core + Splits + TCF.

4-18-16 HY: P90X3- Cold Start + T25- Beta: Dynamic Core + Splits + TCF.

Since I had a late workout last night, I was fully intending to do my workout in the late afternoon.  But my morning was actually open.  I was going to just relax and not really do anything.  When I told my wife a little earlier that I was going to have a regular breakfast she was surprised.  Then, at about 9:20am, my wife asks me, "What are you going to do this morning?" I look at the clock and the words, "Nothing." just wouldn't come out.  Suddenly I said, "I guess I'll go ahead and do my workout."  This was more than 2 hours later than the morning workout I did last Wednesday.  I hadn't eaten breakfast then, and I decided, despite feeling a little hungry, not to have breakfast today.  I went for it.

I was feeling the soreness from the resistance yesterday coming on, but not yet at its worst. But I decided to go ahead and do Cold Start to warm up.  PERFECTION!!!  Then got into the cardio. It was a good routine.  I started breaking a good sweat after about 8 minutes.  In this routine, the first half is mostly standing cardio, and the second half is sitting core/abs work.  There are a few cardio moves, but it focused on core moves.  The V-Sit position is brutal in this routine.  Holding it in a static position got me today.  Then that move after the butterfly move where you have to go up and over the raised leg; OUCH!!! On the hip flexor as well.  It was a good Straight 25.

The Splits were good. I am focusing now, on pushing past the present plateau and going down one more level.  Got to get there sooner than December.  I also did a lot of good Flows.  Felt very fluid this morning.  I didn't feel much hunger which surprised me a bit.  But I was happy for that.

In the end, I burned a nice 575kcals.  Not as big a burn as usual, but it felt good.

4-17-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day- Chest, Shoulders & Tris + RevAbs- Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.

4-17-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day- Chest, Shoulders & Tris + RevAbs- Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.

Today was a nice relaxing day. Spent it with my girls shopping for school supplies.  I did get a shoes bag for my tennis shoes, but mostly getting stuff for my daughter.  Got home late in the afternoon, so I started my workout at the usual time.  I was more sore today than I was yesterday.  I guess as I age, it takes longer for my body to react to the physical exertion.  Oh well.  Even though I ended last week with resistance, I am starting with resistance this week, and I guess I'm just going to have to take that double cardio on Wednesday and Thursday.  I'll have to work something out for Friday so I can do a full workout in the short time I have.  I may have to split my workout.  I really don't want to do that, but if that is the only thing I can do, it will be done.

There were a lot of double moves today, and a lot of changing the weights around.  I really like applying the Body Beast weight increase rep decrease practice to these workouts.  I can really feel that burn a lot more.  I really had to focus today on my chest in order to activate it on the chest moves.

The triceps moves were really tough because half the moves were double moves, but I got a huge pump.  I really tried to focus on my form, especially with the heavy weights.  The chest moves were a bit challenging because I used heavier weights.  The weirdest thing happened on the last circuit.  The chest move was a Chest Press with Leg Raises.  The light weight was a bit tougher than the previous circuit, but I was able to do all the reps with a struggle.  I got nervous so for the second set, I only went up 1.25kgs.  I started to feel a hint of failure just before I hit the top of each rep, but at the same time, I felt okay.  So for the final set, I went up the 2.5kgs and on every rep,  I really had to gut it out. Again, just before the top of the rep, I felt like I was going to lose strength and my arms would collapse. It was almost like a small charlie-horse just before hitting the top.  But I barely got through the set.  Good pump and burn.

I hadn't done abs alone for a while, so I went with Mercy Abs from RevAbs.  I was looking for that burn, and I found it.  Or should I say, "It found me."  Good burn!  I was going for range of motion on the moves and form.  I got that good tightness in the core, that I was looking for.

Splits and Flow were both on par. 

In the end, I torched 1100+kcals.  That's is more than usual for me on an upper body routine.  But I am happy and satisfied with it.

4-16-16 HY: Badminton + Splits + TCF.

4-16-16 HY: Badminton + Splits + TCF.

It was another day and another, "Daddy, can we play badminton?" It was a beautiful day, so we played for about an hour.  But there was a strong wind that disrupted our play so we had a lot of lunging for shots and saves.  But on the good side, it kept me cool so I didn't sweat.  I would have worked up a good amount of sweat had it not been for the wind.  Once we went into the house, though, the sweat started coming.  Fun times!

Then, later that night, I did my Splits and Flow.  Had to get it in so I wouldn't miss 2 days in a row.  I wasn't that sore from leg day on Friday.  We'll see what tomorrow is like.

4-15-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day: Legs.

4-15-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day: Legs.

Yes, that is it for today. Only one routine.  I got home a bit early, but things came up and got started later than I wanted, so I had time for only Legs.  Today will be my off day from Splits and Flow.  I will do them tomorrow night.  Being flexible is the key! I'm not going to get all bent out of shape for not being able to do a full workout.

Supreme 90 Day: Legs is a tough workout.  They move so fast, I can't keep up.  Also, I love P90X's Legs and Back, so since Supreme 90 Day's Legs is only legs, I, long ago, added a bunch of sets of pull ups to the mix.  I actually had forgotten how I did it until I actually finished the main workout, so I added the pull ups at the end all at once.  Very tough, plus, if you remember the last time I did pull ups I sort of hurt my right pec muscle.  Well, I didn't re-injure it today, but it did feel a bit strained, but not pulled.

Anyway, back to legs.  The routine starts out with some killer ab moves so I was happy to burn out my abs first.  The Leg workout then 9 moves done in two circuits.  A little different than the other resistance routines that groups moves into super sets or giant sets.  In the first set, I use medium weights at 15 reps, then go up in weights and down to 12 reps.  But a few of the moves are double sided so there are actually more sets than what is written down.  The toughest move, by far, is the Front to Back Lunge.  That move is also in Body Beast and one other program, and it just burns me out.  When I'm bushed, I lose my balance.  That especially happens on this move in the second circuit.

The mistake I made today with the routine is this.  The regular Legs routine does not have Pull ups, I added them to make the routine like P90X.  But what I forgot today, is that I put a set of pull ups in at every three leg moves so I can get all six sets in all spread out, not concentrated at the end.  Well, since I forgot that, I did the pull ups all concentrated at the end. OUCH!!! But in a good way.  You'll see in the record sheet below.

The routine opens and then closes with a move called Triple Heater (ball).  That is doing 15 reps of Bridges with feet on a Swiss Ball, then a set of 15 of Roll Ins, then a set of 15 of further away Bridges.  VERY Killer for the hamstrings.  But the second time around, I finished off with 8kgs on my stomach. The DVD doesn't do that.  But I wanted to up the intensity.  I couldn't go straight through, I had to take breaks.  Hammys almost cramped up. Over all, it was a good workout.

In the end, I torched a nice 845+kcals.  Legs will do that!  Happy for the off day from tough workouts!

4-14-16 HY: Splits + TCF + Tennis + Splits.

4-14-16 HY: Splits + TCF + Tennis + Splits.

Here is an example of a sort of messed up workout schedule.  My hybrid is basically alternating resistance and cardio 6 days a week starting on Sunday.  But finding time for tennis is one priority, and this semester, Thursday seems like the only day of the week that my schedule and the schedule of my playing partner matches.  So, Thursday is tennis day until summer vacation, which starts in August.  So, I will either have to put up with 2 cardio days in a row, or make the switch and start my week with cardio instead of resistance.  But that will cause problems as well, because of Wednesdays.  My resistance workouts are a lot longer than my cardio workouts so if I do a resistance workout on Wednesday, it will have to be a short one, and I don't want to do that either.  Ah, decisions decisions! What to do???

ANYWAY!!! Today was sort of an odd day.  For some reason, I got the time for our tennis wrong and ended up going to set up at the gym about 50 minutes early.  Once I realized what I had done, it was too late for me to go back and wait, so I flipped my workout around.  I started off with doing my Splits stretch routine and then the Flow.  The Splits stretch was quite different in that I don't have the soft pad or my slide pads for my feet, so I had to push and hold the poses.  I also had to lean into a lot of the poses to stretch particular muscles.  Also, doing stretching with shoes on is much different.  The Butterfly pose, for example,  at home, I can easily get my knees down on the ground to open my hips, but wish shoes on at the gym, my left knee ends up being further from the ground so it took a lot more pushing to get my knees down.  But I got a good stretch either way.  I love doing the Flow in the gym because there is nothing to bump into like there is in my workout area at home.  So I just tied like 20 Flows together and just went the length of the Badminton court.  If felt so free and good.  FREE FLOWING is the name of the game. 

When my partner came, I was all centered and loose.  It showed in my play.  Last time we played was a total disaster.  I couldn't maintain anything or get anything over the net with any consistency.  Today was a totally different situation.  I quickly raised the level of my game and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but then he raised his level and then he took a huge 2-5 lead.  I was temped to get tentative, but I knew I had to go for shots.  I worked my way back, and after almost an hour (with the adjusted ball scoring) I took the first set 7-5.  We started a second set, but only got to 3-1, then  had to finish because of time.  But our play today was so much better and more focused than the last time, and we both noticed it.  That made it so much funner.  We both hit some incredible shots, unreturnable shots!  Of course, smattered in the game were the usual, junking balls into the net or way out, or frame shots, but it was all good.  We had a great time.

I feel a little incomplete with my splits, so I am planning to do one more round of Splits stretch tonight after I get home from work.  I haven't done them yet, but once I write it down here, I am guaranteeing you that it will get done.  I don't plan to wear my HRM so no additional calorie burn for it.

In the end (of the morning session), I torched a big 1200+kcals.  One of the funnest most competitive days of tennis with my regular playing partner in a long time.  Hope we can keep it up.

4-13-16 HY: P90X3- Cold Start + T25- Beta: Rip't Circuit + Splits + TCF.

4-13-16 HY: P90X3- Cold Start + T25- Beta: Rip't Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Wednesdays is probably the most problematic day of the week for me this semester.  I get home late from work, and I don't really want to do a late workout.  So, my only choice is to workout in the morning.  Luckily, I have the time in the morning, but recently, It's been really tough to get up in the morning.  But from Tuesday night I had been planning for today's workout.  I got to bed early and planned to get up early and do my workout.  Also, again luckily, since my daughter is now in high school she has to wake up much earlier so she is like a natural alarm clock for me, bumping around in the morning getting ready for school. So, today, I actually got up pretty early, the earliest ever for me to get up for the purpose of working and started my day.  In the past, I was worried about not having enough energy to workout on an empty stomach and so I would have a shake-O before my workout.  Today, I didn't feel particularly tired or weak or even hungry for that matter, so, I drank my morning water and started my workout right at 7am.  Again, that is the earliest EVER for me to start a workout.

My legs were feeling a bit tight so I decided I needed a good warm up before getting into my main routine, so I went to my "Old Faithful", Cold Start.  For me, Cold Start is a super warm up in the morning, and it served me very well today, doing for me exactly what I needed it to do.  Then I got right into the cardio.

I had forgotten what this routine was like so I just went with it.  Thankfully, it started off relatively slow, but it picked up quickly.  All the moves were challenging in themselves so I started to get a good sweat on within the first 10 minutes.  Right off, let me say that I did do a Straight 25... sort of.  On one move near the 3/4 mark, the Low Plank In/Out Tap move, I thought I could do it right off just listening to Shaun T's verbal cues, but I didn't hear "LOW" plank at first, so I was in high plank.  Then the timing of the "In & Out" I messed up.  I didn't get that the "In" meant "In right and left".  So I was all bungled up.  So, I stopped, watched one progression, got the corrections I needed, rewound the DVD and started the move from the beginning.  Other than that, Straight 25.  I was very glad that there were several intense ab moves as well, since I didn't have time to get an ab routine in today's workout.  I felt good doing the moves so all was good.

I really wanted to take the time to get my splits and Flow in so I could get a complete workout done so I wouldn't have to do a divided workout.  I wanted to be done once I finished.  The splits were good.  Got to the low mark and pushed to pain, adjusting my hips and angle.  The Flow was also smooth and clean.

In the end, I torched a solid 650+kcals.  I was kind of proud of myself for getting it that early morning workout.  Looks like that is the plan for the next 4 months on Wednesdays.

4-12-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day: Shoulders & Arms + Power 90: Ab Ripper 200 + Splits + TCF.

4-12-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day: Shoulders & Arms + Power 90: Ab Ripper 200 + Splits + TCF.

Meetings went long today at school so I got home late and started my workout late.  But I got a full workout in so I am satisfied. More upper body today so we're still going with the Body Beast protocol of light-medium-heavy weights at 15-12-10 reps for rep count moves.  There are a couple moves where the rep count is pre-decided called 21's and the Leaning Triceps Ext. where I have to do sets of 10 with three different grips.  Killer move.  There was nothing extraordinary about today's workout.  Just basic weightlifting with a lot of grit.  I felt a huge pump and burn on every move.  On the heavy set in Body Beast, Segi does 8 reps, but I chose to do 10 and those last two reps are a game changer.  Just to get those two extra reps in there is brutal. Just hitting Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps over and over again, I was really pumped and spent by the end of the routine.

The resistance routine started off with two rounds of a Giant set for abs, and it was really tough, and I had the core burn on all the way through the whole routine.  So, instead of going with a big ab routine, I went with a shorter one, but it was VERY TOUGH!!! I wasn't able to get through all the moves in a full set.  I needed several breaks.  Cramping started coming and the burn was real.

The Splits are getting better and the Flow is clean and smooth!  Thank goodness for the FLOW!

In the end, I torched over 1000kcals.  Feels good to break a Grand.

4-11-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

4-11-16 HY: Tennis + Splits + TCF.

I thought these days were long gone with my son leaving and all, but tonight, my daughter stepped up and asked, "Daddy, can we play tennis today?" WHOA! OF COURSE!!! I was planning a workout with T25, but this was way more appealing in a totally different level.  It wasn't as competitive as it was with my son, and I knew that, but with that knowledge I pushed myself to run for everything.  I also had to control the ball back to my daughter so she could hit it.  She is just good enough to get me to run if the ball she has to hit is not too hard.  I ran and ran after everything, and I was sweating bullets.  We got to the courts a little early so we got some extra playing time in.  For me, it was a good workout.

When I got home, I went straight into the Splits.  I found a certain angle that really hurt my knee so I tried to keep away from that angle.  But I got a good lowness today.  The Flow was good as ever.

In the end, I torched a solid 910kcals in 2 hours 32 minutes. Rigorous, fun and unexpected workout today!

4-10-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day: Chest & Back + ChaLEAN Extreme: Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.

4-10-16 HY: Supreme 90 Day: Chest & Back + ChaLEAN Extreme: Ab Burner + Splits + TCF.

Today was a somewhat busy day in that I had a lot of stuff to do, but my whole day shifted because of two events: 1. getting up really late, and 2. My son calling.  I'm not sure why I woke up so late, but I just did and that threw off my whole day, so to speak.  I finished the big project of the day which was to switch my winter clothes and my summer clothes.  I made a mistake in preparing to do that because I usually get all my clothes ready so I can bring an armful of summer clothes downstairs, then bring an armful of winter clothes upstairs.  But today, I only got my summer clothes ready, then, without thinking, started bringing then down, then did my winter clothes and brought them all up.  That basically doubled my trips up and down the stairs.  Nice workout.  I was thinking I should have worn my pedometer to at least count my steps.  Finished right before lunch so I could eat lunch with my girls.  Then they wanted to go out so I tagged along.  That took a lot longer than expected and we didn't get home until almost 8pm.  I was going to be another late workout.  Then, just as I was getting ready to start, my son calls from out of the blue.  He usually calls my wife. This is the first time I've actually talked to him in over a week.  So we talked for over an hour.  By the time we finished, it was way past 9pm.  I was considering doing my shorter cardio routine, but decided to stick with the program and do resistance, late or not.  I was planning to do a morning workout as well, but with such a late workout today, I'll do a late afternoon workout tomorrow.  I don't want to bunch up my workouts because that would leave too much time between tomorrow's workout and the next day's.  Is that right reasoning, or doesn't it matter?

Keeping it interesting is the name of the game.  So, after finished all the P90X resistance routines, I decided to move to another program.  And so my next program is a non-Beachbody program, but I like it a lot as well.  It is a program called "Supreme 90 Day" with Tom Holland.  You can find it on Amazon.com among other places.  I got it several years ago at a sporting goods shop for only $9.95.  I couldn't pass that price up so I got it.  It was definitely worth the low price.  The DVD's themselves aren't as well produced at Beachbody's DVD's, but the program is sound.  Also, the names sound similar to P90X's but the methodology is very different.  Today, was Chest & Back.  Basically 5 sets with 3 rounds each of Super Sets.  Then a double Combo Set to finish it out.  I didn't want to take the time to dig out my last set of worksheets, so I went with the memory of what I can lift on a particular move.  The program did not come with it's own worksheets, so I had to make my own.  Below is today's record.

It is interesting because the warm up is mainly for the core, but the routine's target is Chest & Back.  Not sure of the reasoning there, but I did it.  In the photo, you can see the 5 sets of Super Sets.  I also made a big change in the way I do this routine.  I sort of did it like Body Beast in that I went up in weight every set with weights and went down in reps.  For the non-resistance moves like push-ups and Upper Cuts, I maintained a 15-20 rep count on all three sets.  Another thing I did differently was on the "Upper Cuts (Chest)" move in set 4.  In the past, I used dumbbells, but I couldn't stop from making it a biceps workout, so I changed it to bands.  Then in the Wt. column, I put "G-4"" etc.  The "G" stands for Green Band, and the "4"" stands for 4 inches, which means I stood with my feet 4" apart.  Then the later two moves are wider apart so as to provide more resistance.  Tom Holland uses Dumbbells for this move, but I prefer to use bands because I can hit my chest so much better with the bands.  For some reason, if I use dumbbells on this move in particular, I end up doing it as a Curl instead, not working my chest at all. But with the bands... BING BING BING!!! Really nails the lower chest. Also, on the second set, I did the two moves, Dumbbell Bench press and Dumbbell Pull-Over, on a ball instead of on the ground like the DVD has their crew do.  On the ball, I got a lot more range of motion.  The moves in this routine are very basic, but good moves.  I'm happy to start this program.  I got a huge burn on each set, and especially the final set. Burn City!!!

It was late, so I didn't want to do a long ab routine so I chose ChaLEAN Extreme's Ab Burner.  I really tried to push the iso holds and my abs were buring like the dickens! Seriously major awesome burn.  Happily unexpected!

The Splits were good, or should I say at least, getting better with animals in the wild.  I was able to hit a good low straddle and side splits.  The Flow was also on Par.

In the end, I torched a solid 850+kcals.  Great way to start off the new week!

4-09-16 Badminton.

4-09-16 Badminton.

My daughter was bored in the afternoon so she asked me to play badminton with her, so we went out and played for a little over an hour.  It would have been longer, but it started to rain.  I worked up a good sweat, and had a good time as well. No HRM but I would guess I burned around 300kcals.

4-08-16 HY: T25-Beta: Speed 2.0 + Splits + TCF.

4-08-16 HY: T25-Beta: Speed 2.0 + Splits + TCF.

Got home from work late which put me into a huge time crunch.  So I burned it through my workout today.  Thank goodness for T25 on days like this!

This is one routine that I really like, I love how each level is shorter than the last which really pushes me to just make it to the end of that move, then go on.  I got through all three levels of Round 1 in good form, but my lower calves and arches were really feeling it.  In round one, it starts off with two high impact moves then the third move is a little less impact so that provides some relief from the pain.  Then, high impact (hopping/jumping) moves are mixed with lower impact moves through out.  But the toughest thing is the transition between round 1 and round 2.  There is no rest, Shaun T just goes right into those Low Cross-Jacks.  Halfway through the move, my lower calves and arches gave out and every step was excruciating. So... unfortunately, I had to stop and shake it out for about a minutes, then I started round 2 from the beginning, and it was non-stop from there. I think I caught my second wind.  Only a few times did I need to modify with Tania and not for the whole move, just a few reps then it was back to normal.  But that one break cost me a Straight 25.  So It's back to the beginning to repeat this phase once I'm finished.  Happy to go through it again, though.

Moved quickly into Splits and I really pushed it today.  And I was able to get really low.  The lowest thus far in my splits training.  GETTING IT!!!  My Flow was also perfection... by my standards, which is the best I know.  I can only hope Dr. Cheng would agree.

In the end, I torched a good 620kcals in a 1 hour and 25 minute workout.  Welcome OFF DAY!!!

4-07-16 HY: P90X+ Upper Plus + Power 90- Ab Ripper 250 + Splits + TCF.

4-07-16 HY: P90X+ Upper Plus + Power 90- Ab Ripper 250 + Splits + TCF.

I was really wavering on whether or not I should do Legs & Back today, or Body Beast's Bulk Legs, because I really felt like I needed to do a leg routine.  But when I saw the UP's moves, the desire to finish the P90X series resistance routines, so Legs will start of my week on Sunday. Today, it was all about the upper body.

Below, you can see the comparison to the last time I did the routine to today.  Not many big differences except on 09,14, 17.  Only one big weight increase on 19. Bicep Everything. All the other differences are just an additional one or two reps, and one additional kilogram.  But the low weight moves like 18. Shoulder Everything, Oh man, that was so tough to get through. Major shoulder burn.  On a few of the pull-up moves, I upped the rep count only one or so.  But on basically all the moves that I matched the rep count and weight, I was dying.  I tried to will out more reps, but I burned out.  Several times, I burned out before the time ended.  But only by around 5 seconds or so.  The final move, 20. Combat Push-Ups.  When I saw the demonstration, it looked easy, and I thought I could really up my rep count.  I was dying and sweating like crazy, and in the end, got only one more rep.  Even though there was a lot of iso, I got a huge cardio effect.   Everything went well, but on one move I felt like a pulled a muscle, but a very unexpected muscle for the move. 07. "L" Chin-Ups,  I was hammering them out, trying to stay stable and not swing ,and legs at 90 degrees, when it happened.  My lower right pec muscle suddenly felt a bit strained.  But not too badly, so I finished the set.  But from that point, I was very aware of the discomfort from that move.  Now, when I push down, I can feel the muscle straining a little.  We'll see how it feels tomorrow, and Saturday.  The major part of workout soreness for me, comes mostly two days after the workout.  I did well on 13. Warrior Swim.  Actually, I did well on the right side, but I had a lot of balance issues on the left side.  I wish I could stay balanced.  All in all, it was a great workout.

I was going to do Abs/Core Plus, but it was a bit longer than I could do.  I accidentally took a nap in the afternoon and because of it, I was in a bit of a time crunch.  That routine was 20 minutes long. So, my old Power 90 disk caught my eye, and the idea of doing good ol' Ab Ripper 200 caught my fancy.  But I figured that 20 reps were a bit low, so I did an extra 5 reps.  No problem, right? WRONG!  Started of well, but faded quickly.  By the middle of the routine, I needed to take mid-set breaks just to get to 25.  It's old, but it can still kick my butt!  Again, Major BURN!!!

Splits were good.  I love it when I find that sweet spot and am able to really push with only limited pain.  But it really takes a lot for me to find that sweet spot.  The Flow was really smooth and clean.

In the end, I torched a good 960+kcals in 2.5 hours.  Happy to be finished with resistance this week.  Only Cardio day left until my off day!

4-06-16 HY: T25- Beta: Core Cardio + Splits + TCF.

4-06-16 HY: T25- Beta: Core Cardio + Splits + TCF.

Today was a full day and I didn't make it home until past 8pm.  Again, not the best time to start a workout, but it's all I could do today.  I knew I was going to do a short workout, and I was really thinking of doing X3 Yoga.  But I was a bit inactive today, and I was sort of tired because of that inactivity so I changed my mind and went with Core Cardio.

This is my move into T25 Beta so I was expecting more strength moves, so when the routine started I was shocked at the speed at which it started.  And since it was Core Cardio, I expected some core moves on the floor mixed with cardio moves, sort of like Ab Intervals in Alpha, but no, much different from what I expected.  Yes, I'd done this routine before, but probably over two years ago so I did not remember any of the moves at all.  This was a Double Burnout routine.  The first round was tough, but doable, the biggest hurdle in the second round, or at least I think it was the second round was the Speed Kicks.  Again, arch issues.  Once I got past that move, I got through it well enough.  Now, here is the question, I didn't stop to rewind the DVD once, so normally I would call that a Straight 25 session.  However, a few times, during move transitions, I stopped to see how Shaun T was doing the move, then I would start in.  I lost one, maybe two moves at the most.  Also, at the very end, after the second Burnout, the two moves: Mountain Climbers, and Spider Climbers, I was dying and so the two Climber moves started off really slow.  The Spider one stayed pretty slow with about a breath between each rep.  The very last two moves, Body Spring and Full Body Run also, started off a little slow, but I, for the most part kept up with Shaun T and crew.  Are those "move check" slight pauses enough to negate a Straight 25?  Oh, and during that Tap Out series, I was SWEATIN' LIKE A PIG!  So, I would stop to quickly wipe the sweat out of my eyes, but I did not break form.  I didn't take any breaks, but I did have a few micro pauses.  HMMMMMMM???

The Splits were great! I was able to find a good angle to go low on.  However, on the last two straddle splits, my right knee started to feel like it was about to buckle, so I backed off. CRUMB!!! I'll test it tomorrow.  I may need to alter my poses.  The Flow was, as usual, on par.

In the end, I torched a good 709kcals.  All that in a quick 90 minutes.  Thankfully, I got rid of that inactive tiredness feeling.

4-05-16 HY: P90X+ Total Body Plus + ChaLEAN Extreme: Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

4-05-16 HY: P90X+ Total Body Plus + ChaLEAN Extreme: Extreme Core Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Today was such a disappointment.  I was planning to play tennis today in the morning, but when I got to the gym to set up the net, it was full of orientation things.  My university's entrance ceremony is tomorrow and then they have a bunch of physical tests and such to do, along with selling gym shoes, etc. So the gym was occupied and no tennis. My next tennis time will probably be next week, so that is going to be about 2 weeks with no tennis. BOO HOO!!!  But I did get some information about an organization that I can possibly join so I can play more.  Here's hoping!

Not playing tennis, I guess, was sort of a blessing in disguise because today was supposed to be a resistance day, so I was able to stay on track.  Having finished all the basic P90X resistance routines, I am moving to the Plus routines.  Total Body Plus kicked my butt!  Before I started the routine I was looking at the worksheet and the rep counts and the weights were not high at all, so I thought I could up everything. NO WAY!!!  It has been a while since I did this routine last, and I failed to write the date down above the last column so I don't know exactly when I did it.  Probably close to a couple years ago.  I was able to improve a little bit on certain moves, but on the whole, I did pretty much the same.  The heaviest weight, I upped from 10kgs to 12kgs.  The medium weight went up to 12kgs from 7.5kgs.  On 17. Weighted Warrior, I went up 1kg to 4kgs, and I was dying.  The second side, I barely got my arms up on the last couple of reps.  I was only able to up the rep count on a few moves, and only by 1 or 2 reps.  Moves like 05, 07, 09, 12, 20 and the bonus moves. It was BRUTAL!!!

Over all, it was a great workout.  Although this was a resistance routine, there was a lot of cardio in it.  I pushed it and I got a huge cardio affect.  burned a lot of calories. BOO YA!

I was going to take a break from abs today, but when I thought about my schedule tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and do abs today because I won't have time to do it tomorrow, entrance ceremony and all, plus a night class. So I chose a short but really intense routine.  I really love this ab routine because it is different, but BURNS so good.  Today, I used 2kg hand weights since I don't have the weighted gloves. Toughy Tough tough!  I love the burn this routine gives, and so quickly, too.  Another plus is that it is fun!

Splits were low and Flow was smooth! Great way to end the workout.

In the end, I torched a big 1155kcals.  Happy Dance!

4-04-16 HY: T25- Alpha: Lower Focus + RevAbs- Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.

4-04-16 HY: T25- Alpha: Lower Focus + RevAbs- Mercy Abs + Splits + TCF.

I was ready to go for the lower body today.  No more soreness from P90X's Legs & Back last week. So I wanted to go for a deeper range of motion on the lunges and squats.  I did, and I got a huge burn.  Again, the biggest hurdle was the Calf Hops.  Still a killer on the old arches, but I am able to last till the end.  My legs got to the burn rather quickly, but I was able to hang on and do a Straight 25.

It is nice to be able to do any ab routine.  I wanted to this on right after Ab Ripper X to compare burn, and this simple little routine gets the burn going quicker (for me) than Ab Ripper X.  And the resulting burn lasts much longer than Ab Ripper's.  Pump is also bigger.  Maybe it is the isometric holds as opposed to the rep count.  Great ab routine!

The splits are at a good level now, just got to keep pushing out of my comfort zone.  I'm bouncing lower, but I want that long low hold.  I'm getting there.  The Flow was right there.

In the end, I torched a good 700+kcals.

4-03-16 HY: P90X- Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.

4-03-16 HY: P90X- Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X + Splits + TCF.

Unexpectedly busy day.  It started of very slow, getting up late, late breakfast, then house chores non-stop.  Then suddenly having to go out.  Taking time to eat a late lunch with my girls, then whirlwind shopping.  I was expecting to be back home before 6pm because of an appointment my wife had, but she was able to move it to tomorrow, so that freed up the evening and we didn't get home until after 8pm.  I wasn't able to start my workout until after 9pm.  I was also expecting this workout to be a little longer because it is a resistance routine, along with adding the other support routines.  However, there were a lot of "interruptions" because my daughter wanted to try different moves with my pull-up bar, wanted to try lifting my dumbbells fully loaded, etc.  So I played with her that way.  She wanted to try "Corn Cob Pull-Ups" so I showed her how and she gave it a go.  FUNNY!!! So, after all was done, my workout lasted 3 hours and 3 minutes.  Yep, finished after midnight.  I really don't like doing that, but it was worth the extra time.  Years ago, I used to get mad when someone interrupted my workouts, but I figured that doing that was not worth the relationship damage, so I just enjoy the interruptions now.  But don't get me wrong, I don't invite them.

This is my work sheet.  Instead of typing out every move and giving the old weights and reps, I'll get a little lazy and just let you see it.  Basically, most of the weights are the same.  Only three moves have different weights. 18, 19 and 24.  For 24, you can see the weights I used at the very bottom.  Also, instead of 4 sets, I did 5.  As for reps, when I could choose my rep count, I went up from 12reps to 15reps.  I really wanted to up my Pull-Up rep count as well, but only 01, 17 and 21 went up.  Also, the first 3 sets of Pull-Ups, I did at "Full" range of motion.  But the last three, I went to a 110degree angle on my elbows, except for 21. I did 4reps at 110 degrees, then 6reps at full range of motion, but singles, meaning I would do one rep then come off the bar, shake it out, then do another rep.  My arms were so burned out I'm happy I could do that. The interesting thing about this routine is that basically on every move, I really felt the burn, and pumped till failure, but once I put the dumbbells down, the burn quickly disappeared.  Unlike Body Beast where the burn along with the pump took a little while to build up, but once it was there it stayed for long after the workout was finished.  At the end though, like I said before, my arms were just so burned out, I could barely do the pull-ups, but the curls were still doable. My forearms got a huge workout.  For them, the burn took a while to hit me, but once it did, BURN IT DID!  As far as weights, the 10kgs and 17kgs were just right to bring me to failure by the last rep. Along with the burn. 

Since I finished the 0-6 Abs program, I am free to do whatever ab routine I want.  So, I just went ahead with Ab Ripper X.  NAILED IT!  Non-stop, even the bonus 10reps on Mason Twist.  But I did double over in pain right after 50.

Splits are happening.  Finding the right angle on my hips is key to going lower.  There always seems to be something, a tendon, or muscle that is in the way, that once I position correctly, I can go lower.  So I have to shift around to get that done.  The Flow was awesome.

In the end, I torched a big 1234kcals.  Happy to get it done today.

4-02-16 Hiking + Various Recreational Sports.

4-02-16 Hiking + Various Recreational Sports.

This was an unexpected pleasure.  Every year, our church goes out into nature to have our worship service during Cherry Blossom season. But because of a scheduled event, the usual place was unavailable. So we went to another place that had just as beautiful Cherry Blossoms.  After the service, we went out and took a walk in the nature.  My daughter, then found an athletic field and obstacle course which she really wanted to do and she dragged me along with her.  It went through the woods and there were tons of huge steps, swinging bridges, rope obstacles, etc. I didn't want to, but I worked up a lathery sweat. The steps were between a foot to almost a foot and a half.  Major leg workout.  The steps were going up and down the side of a gully in the woods. To get through every thing, it took over two hours. 

Then, when we got home, she wanted to play football.  Actually, I wanted to play and she accepted, then she wanted to play badminton, so I played.  Those two sports took about 45 minutes.  Such Fun!

No HRM, but I'm sure I burned a good 500+kcals.

4-1-16 HY: T25-Alpha: Total Body Circuit + 0-6 Abs-P2: Level 14 + Splits + TCF + Volleyball.

4-1-16 HY: T25-Alpha: Total Body Circuit + 0-6 Abs-P2: Level 14 + Splits + TCF + Volleyball.

This is the one T25 routine that I really want to get a Straight 25 on.  I almost went with Lower Focus because I was still sore from yesterday's workout.  A lot of push-ups yesterday with P90X's Chest, Shoulders & Triceps.  But I decided to stick with the schedule and go for it.  I got through the whole routine well enough until the Burnout, then FAIL.  The last progression before the Burnout is that Spider/Oblique push-up progression, then the first move in the Burnout is the Tap Push-Ups. I tried to keep up with Shaun T and go into the Burnout, but I collapsed. Wasn't able to go down from Plank, I just collapsed.  So I had to take a break of about 20-30 seconds to shake it out.  But that was it.  Finished it up with no other breaks.  But that Spider Progression followed by the Burnout is just BRUTAL!  The oddest thing happened to me in the middle of the routine. At one point my upper body felt like they were getting SO pumped that my muscles in my arms and shoulder felt like they were going to pop. It felt cool and weird at the same time.

I feel like I have done a good job with Level 14 today so today is the caper for the 0-6 Abs program.  I really feel like my core got a lot stronger and stable.  The progressions were gradual and really took a good while to get through.  It was a very thorough program taking beginners from zero abs to a good level of core strength.  I would recommend it to anyone that wants to get their core strong.

Splits were good.  Just a little pinched nerve feeling in my left upper hip flexor, but not a pain nerve, but rather a "funny bone" nerve.  It almost tickled when I hit it.  But I was able to re-position and get low.  The Flow was on Par.

As I was heading for the shower, my daughter called out, "Daddy, let's play volleyball!". So, I changed my shirt, put on some warm clothes and went out to play some V-ball with my daughter.  Fun, but my legs were noodles.  But I wouldn't pass up this opportunity to play no matter what.

In the end, I torched a good 820+kcals.

3-31-16 HY: P90X-Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Splits + TCF.

3-31-16 HY: P90X-Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Splits + TCF.

Last day of vacation and it was great.  Just relaxing at home in the morning, then going out with my wife for lunch. Got into my workout when we got home.

I really like this routine because it majorly gives me a huge pump and brutal burn on every move. When I started the routine, I initially planned to use the same weight I did the previous time I did this routine, but once I started the routine, I felt I could do more reps and go higher on the weights.  So some I did and some I kept close. Here goes:
01. Slow-Motion 3-in-1 Push-Ups + Bonus:  12 + 15 bonus reps. Same number of reps.
02. In & Out Shoulder Flys: 16reps/5kgs. Same.
03. Chair Dips: 15reps with legs on the second step of my ladder.
04. Plange Push-Ups: 15reps. No break. Last time I took a break at 12 reps.
05. Pike Presses:  15reps. Same. My arms were so pumped, especially my triceps. Also my shoulders.
06. Side Tri-Rises: 15-15reps. Same. Again, huge pump and burn on the tris.
07. Floor Flys: 24reps.  Getting better at activating my chest on push-ups.
08. Scarecrows: 15reps/5kgs. Same. Much better form now that my weights are normal, not just weighted plates on a towel.
09. Overhead Tricep Extensions: 15reps/17kgs. +2kgs.  The burn was definitely there on the last few reps.  Also, instead of using two dumbbells, I used 1 heavy one.
10. Two-Twitch Speed Push-Ups: 25reps. Same. Just stayed with Tony, but the last two reps were after Tony finished and slow due to exhaustion.
11.Y-Presses: 15reps/12kgs. +3reps/same weight. This move is usually really tough, but I felt really good today, so I kept it going to 15reps.  BURN!
12. Lying Tricep Extensions: 15reps/12kgs. +3reps/+2kgs. I changed this one up a little. Instead of lying on the floor, I used the Swiss Ball.  This gave me much better range of motion.
13. Side-to-side Push-Ups: 20reps. +4reps. By this time, my chest, arms and shoulders were in a state of PUMPAGE!  These push-ups just pushed it more.
14. Pour Flys:15reps/5kgs. +3reps/same. Better dumbbells which means better form.
15. Side-Leaning Tricep Extensions: 15reps/7.5kgs. +3reps on each side/same. Usually, I would be almost burned out, but I felt really good, hence the additional reps.
16. One-Arm Push-Ups: 16reps. +2reps.  I was really happy to get +2reps here.
17. Weighted Circles: 40reps/2kgs. Same.  But today, I didn't fade at the end, I held on to the finish.
18. Throw the Bomb: 15reps/7.5kgs. +3reps/same. Normally, this moves marks the last full rep move. I usually faded after this move, but today. No fading, just pushing... HARD!
19. Clap or Plyo Push-Ups: 20reps. +5reps.  Again, very happy to be able to up my previous number by 5.
20.Slo-Mo Throws: 15reps/4kgs. +3reps/+.75kgs.  Again, with the better dumbbells, my form was much cleaner.  But very tough move.
21. Front-to-Back Tricep Extensions: 16x2reps/6.25kgs. +8reps total/+1.25kgs.  I usually really struggle with this move, but not today. Felt much stronger.
22. One-Arm Balance Push-Ups: 16reps. +2reps. Powered through this move. Everything was burning.
23. Fly-Row Presses: 16reps/7.5kgs. +4reps/Same.  This move just killed me. Got the most brutal Pump and BURN.  I was hoping that 7.5kgs would feel light, but the latter half of the move, I was really feeling it in the shoulders.
24. Dumbbell Cross-Body Blows: 25x2reps/7.5kgs. Same.  I thought this move was for the shoulder, but it felt more like a shoulder move.  I still wanted to get a little more on the chest, so I added a bonus.
24+. Green Band Alternating Upper Cuts: 50reps. First time to do this on this routine, but I just wanted to really activate my chest.  And this IS the move for that.  PUMPED UP!!!

Such a great routine, and forgive the repetitiveness, but the PUMP & BURN were AWESOME!

I wanted to give my abs a little rest today, so no abs. So I moved right into the Splits and I had the time, so I extended a lot of the stretches. The Flow was Par. Felt good.

In the end, I torched a solid 820kcals. Good way to finish out the resistance for the week.