5-05-16 HY: P90X2 - Base+Back + "The Core Challenge" + Splits + TCF.

5-05-16 HY: P90X2 - Base+Back + "The Core Challenge" + Splits + TCF.

Today was another day when I felt really lazy and basically sat and watched the political news on CNN most of the morning.  My body was feeling quite tired still, I assume from yesterday's ride.  I was planning on doing a recovery or a yoga routine today.  Then things changed.  Today, my daughter was planning to go out with some friends so my wife and I were planning to just relax at home.  But then my daughter's plans fell through.  So we decided to go out for dinner.  We wanted to go to a new burger joint that just opened up about an hour away, but it is the only one in our area so we really wanted to give it a try.  This was our chance and I knew I couldn't not do a regular workout.  So I changed my workout plans and went hard.

I had totally forgotten what Back + Base was all about, but I knew since it was Back, there would be Pull Ups.  But the Base part? Not so sure about that one.  It ended up being Plyometric Cardio.  So it was a variation of pull up alternating with a plyometric move.  Only 10 moves done twice in two rounds.  I thought, "Easy Peasy!"  WRONG!!!  For most of the Pull Ups, I stayed right in the middle of the Tony-stated range of 8-12reps.  On the worksheet, when you see two numbers with a hyphen between them, the hyphen means I either came off the bar, or took a break for a moment and just hung on the bar.  All the moves were BRUTALLY INTENSE except for the Surfer Spin.  That was rather easy and served as an active break.  But after each of the other plyo moves, MAN!!! I was totally dying!!! Heaving like crazy, well, not that bad, but hands on the knees trying to catch my breath.  The one anomaly was with the V Pull Ups.  In the first round, I could only do 5-5.  But in the second round, I was able to pump out 8-2.  Not sure how that happened.  Maybe I got a second wind.  On the Kippy Cross Fugly Pull, I really got into a nice rhythm and knocked off 10 straight both rounds.  But I was doing A LOT more kipping in the second round.  But the move that killed me the worst was the last move, "Jack-in-the-Box Knee Tuck".  At the end of both rounds, I  was just spent and could barely catch my breath.  After the first round, I definitely needed breaks that were a bit longer so I added about 30 seconds to several of the break times.  More after the Plyo moves for sure.  But the workout ended only about 8 minutes overtime.  That is a lot shorter than the other routines in X2.  But I got a great burn and a good pump.  My legs were dying though, so I had to push hard to finish especially in the second round.

I was feeling so spent, I took a step back and decided to go with a shorter Ab routine, and I had the ChaLEAN Extreme Ab Burner disk in and playing through and had finished the first few moves when I remember The Core Challenge that my Beachbody Coach is running in a Challenge Group.  So I stopped the routine and dug out the Challenge graphic and started off.  Not to bad at first, but the deeper into the cycle, the more tired I got. But again, I caught a second wind, and the last 4 moves, I was able to push through.  This is what I did.

That 2 minute Bridge, I didn't think I could do it, but was happily surprised that I made it all the way through keeping form, or at least as high as I can get.  My shoulders are really tight on Bridges.  I'll need to open them up soon.  But it was nice to get one round of this challenge done.  This is the first challenge that I have completed with my coach since I've been with her.  I've been with her since January of this year.  Shout out to my coach, Elizabeth!

The Splits were good today.  I was able to push low and long.  I added some time in the straddle position to hopefully keep them open longer than usual.  The Flow was Awesomeness!!!

In the end, I torched a good 850+kcals.  I didn't want to workout at the beginning, but it was so worth it in the end.  This time, I got my own butt off the couch.

5-04-16 HY: Cycling + Splits + TCF.

5-04-16 HY: Cycling + Splits + TCF.

Happy Star Wars Day!!!

It was a beautiful day, but... I went to bed late last night and got up late.  I didn't feel too energetic, and in fact, I just felt like doing nothing.  The day was just slipping away and my wife asked me, "Are you going for a ride?" I responded with, "Ehhhhh..."  to which she said, "Go!".  So I said, "Okay."  I slowly got ready, and almost an hour later, I was ready to go.  I was just feeling so BLAAA.  But once I got on the road, I was in it.  It was pretty windy so certain directions were slow going trying to power through, and others were nice with the wind.  This is my first real ride in over a year, so I was a little nervous about how my legs would hold up.  They were fine on flat surfaces, but I felt the burn on the mountains.  So, for the first part of my ride, I stayed on a relatively flat road.  Only gentle rolling hills, that were still tough to climb, but at least they were short lived.  I got a little confidence so I decided to ride the route my daughter takes to school.  There is a steep 3km hill right in the middle of it.  Once I hit that mountain, it was like that mountain that just wouldn't end.  I couldn't see the end of it for the longest time.  My legs were burning and for some reason, my left hip flexor was feeling a little kinked.  I actually wanted to stop and take a selfie with the hill, but I was afraid that if I stopped in the middle, I wouldn't be able to get started again, so I kept on going.  I eventually made it.  It was so nice to get to the top with a little slope, but then another little climb.  I got to my daughters school... which is in a small valley.  I knew I had another climb coming just to get out of the valley.  Plus, I got stuck behind a school bus.  I did all I could not to breathe.  But you know what they say, breathe or die, so I had to a little.  I flew down that hill and it was so exhilarating.  But by this time, it was getting a little late so the temperatures were starting to dip, and the wind had a little chill in it.  I turned my sights to home.  My house is in the middle of a mountain so I knew I had one last climb left, and although it is a lot shorter than the mountain going to my daughter's school, it was also a lot steeper, but every 30 meters or so was a flat intersection so I could rest a few beats before pushing onward.  I usually don't have any problems with that climb, but I am so out of the cycling game, again, I was a bit nervous.  Well, to make a long story short, I made it up without stopping, but there was just a little tinge of a cramp coming on but no worries.  I did, at the end, take a picture to commemorate my first ride of the season.  By the end of my ride, I was feeling so good, and so grateful to my wife for getting me off my butt!

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, no, my bike is not a normal bike.  It was what is called a Recumbent bike.  I used to ride regular road bikes, then switched to a mountain bike, but after seriously re-injuring my lower back, that slumped over posture was murderous to my back and after every ride, I wasn't able to stand straight for hours.  I thought my cycling days were over until my brother introduced me to recumbent bikes.   In fact, the bike I'm riding now (pictured) is a gift from my brother.  The recumbent is so much easier on my back and I can ride for a lot longer with this bike.  Plus, I love the looks I get when I ride around the city.

I was especially happy to get back riding this year because actually, I haven't been able to ride for over two years.  I bought a special riding cap that is under my helmet when I went to California back in the Spring of 2014.  This is the first time for me to actually use that cap.  I worked exactly like I had hoped and planned.

My legs were so tired and so pumped at the same time, I was going to just go soak in the shower, but then I figured, it would be a good time to stretch out, so I went ahead and did my splits training.  It felt really good, and I think it is going to reduce my soreness in the days to come.  My legs actually felt rejuvenated some after stretching with splits.  And the Flow was good.

In the end, I torched a big 1200+kcals.  Lovely for my first ride of the year.

5-03-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Shoulders & Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Abs + Splits + TCF.

5-03-16 HY: P90X2 - X2 Shoulders & Arms + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Abs + Splits + TCF.

What do you do on a rainy day? WORKOUT!!!  Thunderstorm conditions all morning.  Not much else to do, so after a quick errand, I got to it.  I was considering having my lunch ShakeO first, but decided to go for it before the ShakeO.  It went well.

Shoulders and Arms is probably the least complicated routine so far in X2.  Just three rounds of 7 basic strength moves with the added balance component.  But you know what happens when there are three rounds! Body Beastiness.  Once I realized that the three rounds were of the same moves, I had it decided in my mind to start with low weight and high reps and increase the weight every round while reducing my rep count.  But once I got started things changed a little bit.  You can see the progression on the graphic below.  There were a few anomalies.  Like I accidentally missed the balance part on move 04., so I added the balance part for move 11. keeping the same weight but adding a rep to the total to keep even.  When you see a number like "8-8"  That means that due to the balance component, I did 8 reps on one leg and 8 on the other.  Switching in the middle to keep even.  When there is just one number in the rep count side, that just means that I did both weights at the same time.  Of the 7 moves, there were two moves that especially killed me, move 05. and 06.  Those Crazy Eights were intense.  In the last round, I did half, 8 and 8 no problem, but needed a quick break before the 3rd and  4th sets.  Also, no reduction in rep count despite the rise in weight.  The Y-T Fly was so tough.  I knew I wouldn't be able to go over 4kgs, so I did 3kgs twice at high reps, and went down in reps a bit and up in weight a bit for the last round.  Round 3 saw a rise in all the weights, and a reduction in all the rep counts except Crazy Eight.  Although I was thinking to go a little less.  But since I couldn't change the name, I couldn't change the count. I got a huge pump and burn from this workout.  This routine showed the one complaint I have about P90X2.  There are long breaks between moves, and that is fine, but instead of talking, I wish Tony would introduce the move.  He does once in a while, but on most routines and on most moves, he shows the moves as the time for the move starts, so I ended up watching the move, then rewind the DVD.  This is one big reason why I add so much time to the workout. At the same time, I welcome the idea of having a little extra rest time between intense moves.  Still and awesome pumping burning routine.

I knew X2 Ab Ripper was quickly coming up, but I wanted to do something a little different but just as intense so I went with Chalene's Extreme Abs.  It has been a while since I did this routine, so I was looking forward to it. KILLER to the max!!! I really felt the advantage of Shaun T's advice about quickly blowing out the air to give a quick recovery.  That blow out helped a lot.  Major core burn.  Great abs work today.

The Splits went to a new low today, and the Flow was spot on again. Feels good when everything comes together. KNOCK KNOCK!

The pain in my right hip flexor is almost totally gone, so I was very happy about that.  Also, no knee pain either. Woo Hoo!

In the end, I torched a good 989kcals. 

In looking over the remaining X2 routines, I don't see a lot of lower body routines or work except for P.A.P. Lower, So to keep some balance, I might change up the progression of the routines and go with that one to finish off the week.  But I'm glad that I could get a good jump start on the month with a week of vacation that allows me to focus a little more than a regular week would allow.

5-02-16 HY: Cycling + T25-Gamma: Extreme Circuit + Splits + TCF.

5-02-16 HY: Cycling + T25-Gamma: Extreme Circuit + Splits + TCF.

Since last night, my right front hip flexor was really sore.  I may have injured it while trying to pull up some of the roots of the tree stump.  The pain didn't come until later in the evening.  When I woke up in the morning, it was really stiff.  I had to walk with a limp until it stretched out a bit.  I went to see Captain America: Civil War in the morning.  So AWESOME!!! No spoilers though.  I know it hasn't opened yet.  If you're into that type of movie, you'll love it!  Real adrenaline pumper, so when I got home, I was raring to go.

Cardio Day!  It was a beautiful day, and I really wanted to go for a ride.  So, I got my bike out.  It has been a long time since I rode it.  Close to a year.  Last year, I didn't have a lot of time, plus, on days that I did have the time, it was raining or ashing or something.  So when I got my bike out, it was in bad shape.  So I started to clean it up, oiled her up, and then took her out for a short ride.  But the left gear shift was totally melted so I couldn't use it.  So I had to stay on the largest sprocket. I only rode for 30 minutes testing the smaller gears that I could shift with my right shifter.  It was a nice warm-up.  Exactly what I needed for my hip flexor.

I wanted to do Cardio, and I was hoping that Extreme Circuit would be and Extreme Cardio routine, but it was a strength routine.  I almost stopped and changed to a cardio routine, but 5 minutes in and I couldn't stop.  I really liked that 4 - one-minute moves and one minute Burnout.  The first circuit was killer.  I didn't stop, but I wasn't able to hold the weights at 90degrees the whole time.  Although I let the weight down some, I didn't totally drop the ball.  I felt the burn for the first three circuits, but I was able to keep going.  But the last two circuits just killed me.  I was so tired that I needed to take a quick breather after the more cardio-ish moves.  I don't remember the names of the moves, but I remember need the breaks.  Although is wasn't a total cardio workout, I got in some cardio.

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do a good deep stretch because of my pain, but it was warm so I was able to stretch as normal.  I pushed lower than ever today.  Felt really good.  And the Flow was spot on as well.

In the end, I torched a nice 606kcals.  Hopefully the stiffness will be less tomorrow.

5-01-16 HY: Yard work +P90X2- Chest + Back + Balance + X2 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.

5-01-16 HY: Yard work +P90X2- Chest + Back + Balance + X2 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.

Yard work? Yes! I've been waiting for a day with good weather to get a big project done.  This will be the first time to cut the grass/weeds in our lawn since around October of last year so there was a lot to cut, rake up and bag.  But that only took about 45 minutes.  The bulk of the time was for the big project.  Something I had never done before, dig out a stump.  I knew it was going to be tough, but I had no idea how tough it was going to be.  I tried to kick the stump and it didn't even shimmy.  It was solid in the ground.  So I had to dig all around it and find each root trailing away.  I had to dig out each root and follow it as far as I could.  I tried to dead lift one of the roots to get the stump to loosen up, not one bit of movement. Then pulling up the trailing roots ended up being like a major match of tug-of-war.  Totally exhausting.  Well, to make a long story short, I eventually got the stump out.  I had to hack off all the root stumps from the bottom of the main stump to make it small enough to bag and throw away.  In all, THREE HOURS!!!  I took a shower and just vegged out on the couch and watched some TV, did some editing.  Plus, I was hot! I got a really nice tan out in the sun for 3+ hours.

I almost decided that the yard work would be my workout for the day because I was absolutely exhausted afterwards.  But come late afternoon, I was home alone with nothing to do, so I changed my mind and got up and decided to go for a regular workout.  Also, I wanted to start off this month with a BIG BANG.

I had forgotten what this routine was until I looked at the worksheet.  Pull ups and Push ups.  All body weight moves with zero dumbbells.  I thought it would be easy, plus, only 20 moves. Again, dead wrong. I was a little nervous about the bar work because my right forearm was really sore from the yard work, but thankfully it held up, and I held on.  I was actually very happy with the number of reps I was able to pump out on all the bar moves.  If I came in a little short, I went back up and cranked out a few more.  In the second half, there were a lot of pull ups that allowed me to get off the bar and change grips, so that helped a lot.  The Push ups were all on balls, and I have only one medicine ball.  So I used my foam roller and my medicine ball on a lot of the moves.  For example,  04. Push-Up Side Arm Balance, I did on just the foam roller. 06. 4-Ball Push-Up, I did it with my hands on the foam roller and my feet on one ball. 10. 3-Ball Plyo Push-Up, I did on the foam roller and one ball hopping back and forth.  The push ups in the second round, I did pretty much the same way.  Move 20. I did on my one Med Ball.  VERY TOUGH!!!  The Stability Ball moves were not bad, but 12. Elevated Stability Ball Push-Up, I was shaking like a wet Chihuahua.  The previous Stability Ball moves, I felt pretty stable, but this one blew me out of the water.  But the most intense move had to be 18. Chattarocker.  I thought I would be able to do it well, but I was dying and couldn't pull off the 15reps. I thought this routine would be easy without the weights. NO WAY!  I also got a huge pump and a fiery burn.

I was sort of thinking to do a less intense ab routine, but then just went with X2 Ab Ripper.  It is a really tough routine, and I always get a good burn.  But this time, I took the time to move my mat and towel around so I could do all the moves with as much range of motion as possible.  The last time, I was a little lazy and ended up being a little cramped on a few of the moves that required more space.  Also, I tried doing today's ab work without shoes just to see how different it is.  HUGE DIFFERENCE!! I immediately felt the difference.  It allowed me to move faster and on moves with leg lifts, it was noticeably easier, but still tough.  I just tried to increase my range of motion and got the same burn as if I had my shoes on. Next time?  We'll see.

The Splits were good.  Again, I was a little nervous about my right knee, but it was fine.  No excess pain or discomfort.  I was able to get a touch passed my mark so I was happy.  Pushing more now.  The Flow was right on the money.

I didn't wear a HRM for the Yard work, but for the regular workout, in the end, I torched a nice 1300+kcals.  BOOM!!! May starts with a BANG!!!

April workout results.

Here is what my April looked like.  Orange is Tennis and off day workouts.

I'm ready for May!

4-30-16 Badminton, Football, Baseball.

4-30-16 Badminton, Football, Baseball.

It was inevitable. It was a beautiful day and I knew it was coming.  "Daddy, let's play badminton!"  YES! I was waiting for that.  We just got new birdies so we were ready to play.  The only "fly" in the ointment was that my daughter was very sore from her hard practice the day before and wasn't able to move like usual.  But we played hard and I got my sweat on.  My daughter was feeling a little too sore, so we switched sports to Football.  She is really getting her throwing down pat. When she is on, she has a nice tight spiral on the ball and can heave it down field.  I, of course was her receiver so she wouldn't have to move except out of the snap. More sweat since I had to run up hill. Then, she had the idea of playing baseball, so I got to play catcher while she pitched.  Just a few wild pitches but I got a good squat stretch in for my inner thighs.

Full sports day and lots of fun!