6-27-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - The Challenge + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.

6-27-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - The Challenge + X3 Ab Ripper + Splits + TCF.

I started the second round of X3 Resistance today.  But since there was one day already filled out on Total Synergistics, I am passing that routine and going straight to The Challenge.  So all the worksheets will be in line in the same week.  I guess I'm a little OCDish that way.  I just bugged me that that one worksheet would be off by a day.  ANYWAY...

Tony said at the beginning to up my numbers, so I did.  I was actually feeling that last time's numbers were just right, but I decided to give them a little nudge up.  So, I went with 8 Pull-Ups and 28 Push-Ups.  That is +1 and +3 respectively.  The last time I did this routine was about two weeks ago and I crushed the Pull-Ups, but I had a lot of trouble with the Push-Ups.  This time, I was able to do a lot better with regard to strength endurance.  Complete Pull-Up Sets in the first half were 4 for 4.  I was very happy about that.  I almost made it 4 for 4 on the Push-Ups, too, but on the last set the burn was too hot, so I tapped out at 21.  But I finished in only one set.  Then the reversal happened.  In the third and fourth rounds, I had to tap out on every Pull-Up set.  I was able to get up to at least 5 reps every time.  But I was able to finish my number in one pickup set not a bunch of little sets like last week with the Push-Ups.  Round 3 was good for the Push-Ups, but Round 4, not so much.  I had to tap out on both Push-Up sets but finished with one set.  I feel like I really crushed it today.  Especially the Burnout!  I was able to add two mini-sets to my 1/3 total.  Up to 11 mini-sets, up from 9 last time.  I was able to actually keep it going the whole 2+ minutes, no breaks or breathers.  But I was feeling the heavy pump from the third move on.  And when it came time for the Cooldown, I was so pumped, I couldn't straighten my arms clasping behind my back.  Pump and Burn City, People!

I upped the intensity for my abs as well.  I graduated from RevAbs Merciless Abs, and went with Tony, too.  I could feel my abs and core work, along with my shoulders, lats, and arms.  It is almost a full-body routine.  But I got my burn on especially on the last two moves.  BRUTAL STUFF!!!  The Splits and Flow were awesome.

In the end, I torched a nice 780kcals.  I was able to get everything done in just over an hour.  I'm happy to get things done in less time.

6-26-17 (Monday) HY: T25 - Beta: Speed 2.0 + Splits + TCF.

6-26-17 (Monday) HY: T25 - Beta: Speed 2.0 + Splits + TCF.

Unfortunately, no tennis today.  Fortunately, no tennis today so I can get in a round of T25!  I want to do at least one round of a Shaun T cardio routine to keep up my arch and leg strength and endurance up, but it hasn't worked out that way because of tennis and Pickle-Ball.  So I'm happy to take advantage of times when I can do some Shaun T cardio.

I really wanted to keep moving, so I went with a Speed routine.  To me, if memory serves, 2.0 is even more brutal than 3.0.  So I wanted to Push it a little harder today.  I was also really curious about how far I could get.  Was a Straight 25 even possible several weeks removed from my last Shaun T workout?  Quick answer, NO!  Right from the get-go, my calves and arches were tested.  I was actually pretty surprised that I made it through the entire Round 1, all three levels without a break.  I was able to make it through the first move of Round 2 Level 1, but with the second move also a hopping Up and Back move, my arches and calves just couldn't take anymore, so I tapped out at 16:10.  I got through Level 1 but had to tap out as Level 2 began at 13:00.  I took a couple more little breaks after that, but I made it to the end.

The Splits and Flow were "CHOICE!"

In the end, I torched a satisfying 730+kcals.  That was about right.  I usually burn around 1300kcals over 2+ hours of tennis.  It was a good day with a good workout.  I do love me some tennis and Pickle-Ball, but I hope I have more chances to do Shaun T again, soon!

6-25-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Upper + RevAbs - Merciless Abs + Splits + TCF.

6-25-17 (Sunday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Upper + RevAbs - Merciless Abs + Splits + TCF.

Today was a good day for the most part.  I went out with my wife in the morning and got my case of 100% pure coconut water. YEAH!!! I'm set for the next few weeks for good and fast hydration.  We came back, had lunch together and then I started getting ready for my workout.  Today's routine completes my first round of X3 Resistance.  It was a good round, so I think I'm going to do it for a few more times.  With routines like The Challenge and today's routine, I'm loving the pump and burn.

I forgot how this routine went, so I had to watch first the new moves (that were actually renamed old moves) to learn them, so I was rewinding a bit to get the moves down.  The first move, Slow-Mo Chin-Ups is a killer.  Slow Chin-Ups are too tough for me to do without the assist, so all the Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups today were done with the Green Assist band.  In the first round, being fresh, I was able to get through all the reps without a break.  But in all the following rounds, I couldn't finish.  So I took a mid-set break in the rest of the sets.  I went as far as I could and tapped out when I couldn't go on.  But I got back into it and finished the 12 reps.  As for the W Pull-Ups, it wasn't as slow as the Chin-Ups, but I still took it slow.  I was also really focusing on activating my back muscles instead of just relying on my shoulders and arms.  I'm going to feel that tomorrow!  Anyway, you can see the split on the worksheet below.  The second move, I was able to do all the reps without a break in all four rounds.  The minor change was in round four.  I added 4 reps for a total of 12 reps.  I was so out of breath, but happy I could push it. Move 3. Lunge Thrust Press, this was another move that I was able to complete in all four rounds, but in the final round, I added 4 reps for a total of 16 reps.  Another move that knocked the wind out of me.  I needed that doubled over posture to catch my breath.  The final move, the Push-Up Bird Dog Crunch, I was able to complete all the reps in all the rounds.  I was thinking to add 4 reps in the last round, but couldn't.  I was too bushed and worn to do the bonus reps, so I just did the original set count.  That blew me away, the way Tony was adding the static holds all over the place.  The Burnout was killer.  For all five moves, I was able to do the reduced number or reps.  A true burnout if I do say so myself.  My rep count for the Burnout run through was as follows: 6-8-8-6-8.  FINISHED!!! DONE!!! NO MORE!!!

I took a little time after the cool down to catch my breath, but then I got right into my ab work.  Back to work with Brett.  It was tough because I was feeling my lower back pain.  But it did help me to find where the pain was radiating from, and it just so happens to be from the lower right back.  Doing the V-Ups was a bit painful, but once I gutted through it, the pain was reduced a little.  A few changes, I for the first move, I did all three rounds as the Sweeping V-Ups.  No hands on the ground.  The second move also kept up with Brett on this one.  and the Spice round, same as usual.  At the beginning of the routine, my back pain was pretty bad, but by the middle of the second round, I felt strong and kept it going.  I did have to tap out in the second and third round.  I ended up tapping out at 8 and 9 reps.  But I still, after a quick breath, Got back into it.  The V-Ups are always a killer.  Got a great burn in the core today.

The Splits were good.  I was able to maintain the distance.  But the pain is still present, which it should be.  And the Flows were, as usual, on point.

In the end, I torched a good 930+kcals.  I'm a bit bummed that I didn't hit a Grand, but I was close.

6-23-17 (Friday) Pickle-Ball.

6-23-17 (Friday) Pickle-Ball.

Pickle-Ball Day is BACK!!!

Very excited to play again.  We got started a little earlier than usual because I was able to get everything set up and my playing partner (from now on I'll call him Dan) was able to end his class on time and get to the gym quickly.  I was like we had never taken a two-week break.  We got right back into the game.  We warmed up quickly and got into the match.  The first two games were pretty close in score but very different in play pace.  I won the first game 15-13 but the game only took about 10 minutes.  We talked about why that was on the changeover and discovered that we both went on long and medium sized point runs and there wasn't a lot of contested serves.  There was a total of 28 points and only about 8 - 10 changes of serve.  Well, we talked about it, so wouldn't you know, the second game made it to 1-1 and then we got stuck.  We changed serve over 10 times before I went on a little run to break the 1-1 tie.  The second game took almost 30 minutes.  There were a lot of awesome rallies and some incredible gets and WOW shots.  Very entertaining game.  Thankfully I took that game also, 15-12.  The, I went off, and totally destroyed Dan in the third game.  I took the score up to 12-1, then I stalled out.  He came back some to get to 12-6, then I just shut the door and closed out the game, 15-6.  But Dan was clearly off in the third game.  He was spraying shots everywhere.  He hit so many service returns into the net it wasn't even funny.  We finished the game in less than 10 minutes.  Then it was my turn, I went off the boil.  In the final game, I just couldn't get anything started.  I served fine, but I was just spraying shots everywhere but in the court.  I scraped together a few multi-point runs, but nothing more than 2 points at a time, while Dan was putting runs of 5 points and more together.  But it was a competitive game because it took over 20 minutes.  I lost it 8-15.  3-1 isn't a bad record for the day, so I was happy.  I will say this, I tried to not let it affect my play, but my glutes and legs were really sore.  I was really feeling yesterday's lower body workout.  Also, my back was feeling a lot better.  Still not at 100%, but no tweaks today.

In the end, I torched well over 1050kcals.  So glad to get back into Pickle-ball.

6-22-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Lower + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + TCF.

6-22-17 (Thursday) HY: P90X3 - Complex Lower + Power 90 - Ab Ripper 200 + TCF.

I was on a really tight time crunch today because I had a recruiting event at my school and I got out a lot later than usual.  I was considering not doing resistance today and just doing a T25 Cardio, but I raced home and figured I'd have just enough time to get in a resistance routine.  But I had some trouble finding the disk and getting my computer to work so I got pushed even more.  Long story short, I was late to my night class by about 15 minutes.  But luckily it worked out because the students just happened to be late as well and came in just as I was getting settled.  WHEW!!!

Back to the workout.  I wanted to do lower body today so Complex Lower was it.  Complex Upper on Sunday will complete my first round of X3 Resistance.  I forgot how to do this routine, so I accidentally started the first Complex with a higher-than-recommended weight.  So, I didn't increase the weight with each Complex.  Instead, I maintained the weight through all four rounds.  I used only two sets of weights, 7.5kgs and 5kgs.   With the weight staying the same, each weighted move got tougher with each round. But not as it should have, I guess.  Normally, I would have carried out the progression thus 5-6.25-7.5-10kgs for the heavier and something similar with the lower weight.  But keeping the weight was still tough.  I was thinking to go up to 10 for the last round, but my legs were already pretty fried so I didn't/couldn't.  There was one improvement if memory serves.  The last move of the Complex, The Stabilizer, I remember just barely being able to keep my leg up for the full 5 count at the end of the move, but today, I was able to keep both sides raised up high and stable.  I was happy and a little shocked at that.  I could feel the pain/cramp coming, but it never materialized into a full blown pain or cramp.

Legs thoroughly burned out, time slipping fast, I went to an "Old-Faithful".  Keeping form as clean as possible, I went through all 10 moves as methodically as possible, not rushing, but not taking any breaks between moves.  Twice near the end, I tapped out because of ab cramping, but I breathed it out.

I actually did rush through my Flow and rushed to shower shave and shine for my night class.

In the end, I torched just under 650kcals.  It was a fun evening.  We ended up having a going away party for a student who is leaving.  We all went to sing karaoke.  My first time in about 2 years.  Fun evening!

6-21-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X2 - Recovery and Mobility + TCF.

6-21-17 (Wednesday) HY: P90X2 - Recovery and Mobility + TCF.

Today was my mid-week recovery day and I was in need of this day after two tough resistance days sandwiching a tough tennis day due to my back issues.  So I got into the routine and everything was fine.  This time, I did the whole routine, unlike Monday when I just did the foam rolling part and the stretching.  The diagnostic moves felt good at both ends and foam rolling was awesome.  But the big thing that was different today than all the other times was when I was rolling out my left shoulder.  As I have said before, my left shoulder has been having some pain issues.  Well, as I was rolling it out, I suddenly heard a "POP" sound and a sharp pain shoot out from the front of my shoulder.  I stopped the micro-movements and just sat.  The pain lasted for only a moment and then the weirdest thing happened.  My shoulder felt a lot better.  I'm guessing it was like a tendon was out of place or something and today's rolling snapped it back into place.  There is still some pain, but it is significantly less.  I also think that my range of motion increased a little bit.  So, I will foam roll as much as I can and hope that the pain issue resolves quickly.  Oh, I also didn't quite double the lower body roll, but I did add a minute or so to it.  The Flow to close felt a lot smoother and lighter than ususal.

In the end, I burned just over 220kcals.    Very relaxing routine and workout.

6-20-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Incinerator + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Unlock your Tight Hip Flexors + TCF.

6-20-17 (Tuesday) HY: P90X3 - Incinerator + ChaLEAN Extreme - Extreme Core Circuit + Unlock your Tight Hip Flexors + TCF.

Well, today was quite an ordeal.  If you remember, I talked yesterday about my back hurting.  Well, after tennis, it just got progressively worse until I could barely stand up straight.  I took some medicine for it and hoped for the best.  When I woke up this morning, it was still painful, but at least it didn't feel any worse.  But I still couldn't stand up straight.  So as I walked, I looked like a hobbled old man.  But the more I walked, it seemed to stretch out my back and I slowly came to be able to stand up straight again.  But then I'd sit for a while, then upon standing up, I was bent over again for a little while.  When I got home, I was seriously considering just taking it easy today and perhaps even the rest of the week.  But that thought didn't last very long.  Instead, since it was resistance day today, I thought to just modify like crazy and really protect my back.  So that is what I did.
The progression of moves in Incinerator is actually really good, and I didn't have to modify too much.  I was intending to go a little lighter overall but ended up doing just a little below my max.  The only modifying it did was on moves like move 5. Rocket Launcher Rows, I rested my upper body on my leg instead of supporting with core strength.  But on move 11. Pterodactyl Flys, I went on my Swiss Ball.  I didn't want to risk that upper body angle making my back worse.  Then I did the same on move 18. Rocket Launcher Kickbacks, went on the Swiss Ball to protect my back.  I could feel a huge difference in my back during the Svenson Vinyasa.  My Up-Dog wasn't anywhere near the range of motion I usually get.  I did make one minor mistake on move 14. Kneeler Curls.  I didn't pay attention and I thought that since this was a weighted move, the rep count was 10.  I didn't realize that it was a max rep move until I finished my 10 reps, started getting up and Tony and the crew were still pumping out reps.  I probably could have done another 3-5 reps.  I was very happy to get 10 clean reps in on the Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups within the 30 second time limit.  And that was with full extension.  But the move that probably surprised me the most because of its brutal nature and the serious burn was move 9. Monkey Pump.  I was only using 4kg dumbbells.  I thought it would be a walk in the park, and for the most part, the first 4-5 reps were pretty easy.  Then I hit the proverbial wall and the last 3-4 reps were incredibly brutal and my shoulders were feeling that major BURN!!!  I can usually touch my elbows together in front but with the work from the previous 8 moves, I was too pumped to be able to touch my elbows.  Awesome routine! I extended the time of the routine passed 30 minutes because I stopped to learn several moves, then rewound the DVD then started over again with the crew.  Major pump and burn today.  With minimal back tension.  That was the goal.

Still in back protection mode, I went with Chalene's Ball Abs.  And I got a great burn and the only back pain I felt was during the warm up when I was supposed to extend.  I went a little too far and the nerves let me know so I backed off.  But it was a great maintenance routine.  But I could feel my abs were stronger because I didn't feel the need to tap out during the routine at all.

I decided to go with the Unlocking my Tight Hip Flexor routine and I really pushed it, especially on the kneeling moves.  I felt really good and I felt that I did actually open up my hip flexors.  I was pushing it in as many angles as I could.  Painful, but good, and I was able to protect my back.  The Flow felt really good, too.  When I have to keep my back straight, I seemed to move smoother and with purpose.

In the end, I torched only 655kcals.  But the results I was feeling were awesome.  The best surprise of the workout was the fact that quickly on, my back loosened up and I was able to stand up straight during 95% of the workout.  No more excuses to hide behind.  Back pain SCHMACK PAIN!!!