P90x Week 12: Day 5 - Legs and Back

I thought this workout was going to be easier since we are near the end of the program... it wasn't! I'm guessing it is because my muscles are confused and were expecting a recovery week. I felt low in energy too.

We endured even with kids climbing all over us while we did the exercises:


One more workout to go!!

P90x Week 12: Day 3 - Back and Biceps

Since it is our last bicep workout for the program, we went hard today to see if we could beat our previous week's records... and we are feeling it! It was a tough workout. I always feel like crying (it's ok, I'm in touch with my feminine side) during the last exercise - the bicep curls strip-sets. I don't think I've ever got to 8 reps on each set - my arms are dead by the end of this workout.

Half-way done the week - looking forward to a good yoga stretch tomorrow.

P90x Week 11: Day 5 - Legs and Back

Feels good to be back at it after missing yoga yesterday. I felt pretty sore after doing physical labor all day yesterday. My work is usually computer related, so I don't get to do much physical work (this was another reason we are doing P90x). I am sure I am less sore because I have been working out, but I am still sore.

Here's legs and back:

P90x Week 11: Day 1 - Chest and Back

We're back at it - feels like we have worked out back a lot, but the amount of reps we can now do is the payoff.

I've been slacking on the diet portion of the workouts. I get busy in the mornings and don't get enough to eat before the workouts - as a result, I can feel my energy level is lower. I'd love to have a chief to prep all the food and make sure we are eating proper portions. If there is anywhere I can improve, it would be diet. Maybe if we video taped our meals I would be more consistent in eating according to the plan... who would watch that?

No complaints about the program through - we are both seeing results from being consistent in our workouts, but there is always room for improvement.

P90x Week 10: Day 5 - Legs and Back

Wow, you'd think this workout would be getting easier on week 10... I don't think so. This is the first time I've had a stomach cramp in any P90x workout. It could be diet issues, but I have another theory. The better you get at doing these exercises, the less rest-time you have between exercise. For example, on week one if someone was able to do 5 pull-ups, and now is able to do 20... there is a lot less time to stand around and watch Tony and the crew finish up their last reps (or the majority of their reps). The workout becomes more demanding!

See what I mean here:

P90x Week 10: Day 3 - Back and Biceps

The real challenge with this workout is keeping pace with Tony and the gang - it some parts it seems like I barely have enough time to record what I did and then adjust the weight for the next exercise. I try to keep my reps between 8-10 which does give me a bit more time to make adjustments.

Today was pretty intense - I sure didn't feel like doing Ab Ripper; but I was happy when it was all over! See for yourself:

P90x Week 9: Day 5 - Legs and Back

I'm beginning to think this is the "mother of all workouts" - legs are dead, heart is racing, and it ends with the ab ripper... happy to be through it!

P90x Week 9: Day 1 - Chest and Back

Sweet Ibuprofen!
As mentioned on Friday's post - Shilleen and I were involved in a volleyball tournament on Saturday. We played about 14 games in 6 hours... it was a long day! We both felt better about our performance compared to six months ago when we competed in a similar tournament - we are chalking that up to being fairly consistent in our P90x workouts. We thought our workouts would help the soreness, but the next day we both had to dope up on the Advil to help with the the moaning and groaning each time we moved.

I think the workout will help with the soreness and hopefully we will get back to feeling good in the next day or so.

P90x Week 7 Day 5 - Legs and Back

Couching from the couch
The kids have been hit with some nasty bug that has zapped most of their energy from them - they really aren't themselves (as you will notice in the video they aren't climbing all over us today); it is really strange to see. They went to the doctor today and got the antibiotics that they need, so it should clear up soon.

It was funny to observe how even though my son, who barely has enough energy to move, he was still able to give us pointers on our technique as he laid on the couch in a daze. He was telling me that I was doing some of the exercises wrong, or that I needed to do them like "mommy" - he must get that from the other side of the family :)

Needless to say it has been a rough couple days for the kids, and some long nights for their parents.

Here is today's performance - please excuse my technique imperfections. I hope to have them mastered with my "coach's" help soon...

Week 7: Day 3 - P90x Back and Biceps

Ugh, I can't bend my arms... That was pretty intense. I think my form suffered quite a bit. I tried to do an extra rep or increase the weight on almost all exercises, and I'm feeling it.

Shilleen had to bail on this workout - she was up all night with sick kids, and she isn't feeling to hot today.

Here's my solo effort:

Stiff Neck from Pull-ups

Yesterday during the legs and back exercises, I could feel my neck starting to get tense; this morning it felt worse. I think it was caused by two reasons: poor warm up, and I was trying to squeeze in a couple more pull-up reps. I didn't get a good warm-up because I was tending to my daughter, who seems to need a diaper change every time we start exercising. Squeezing in a couple extra reps caused my form to suffer and put the tension in my neck instead of my back. I did some looking around to see what I could do better, and found some good advice and demos.

For now, I am going to enjoy my recovery day tomorrow and use a few basic techniques for relieving neck pain, such as soaking in a hot bath and getting a massage.

P90x Week 6 Day 5 - Legs and Back

It's static and ballistic... it's Stablatic!!
This workout felt pretty good - we had to cut out a few times to help the kids, but we prevailed again! Feels good to be almost done another week.

Here's today's work:

P90x Week 6 Day 3 - Back and Biceps

It was pointed out on the YouTube posting that I seem to be slacking off on the Mason Twist part of the Ab Ripper X workout. Just to explain, this exercise seems to injure my lower back. I can feel it during the workout and it usually take a few days to feel better. I feel the same pain when I do those frog exercises - basically any of the ab exercises where I sit on the floor with legs off the ground and no support for the back. I don't know why it does that, but I haven't been able to get past it. Anyway, I will try again when it feels better, but this has happened several times now... any suggestions?

Here's the latest:

P90x Legs and Back - Week 5: Day 5

Have you ever noticed that the back stretches take an unusually long time - I thought it was because Tony gets side-tracked in introducing Sophia; talking about her "chicklet" teeth. If you watch Sophia's arms, you will notice that the video has been edited. At first she has her arms behind, then in-front for the close-up and then behind again. It is just a little quirk we noticed doing these workouts over and over - not a big deal, just something interesting... to me anyway :)

P90x Back and Biceps - Week 5: Day 3 - Corncob Pullups

Once again, it seems like we haven't done pullups for a long time, but felt good to do a few. Those "Corncob Pullups" though are tough! As for biceps, I thought I was doing ok until the strip set... those are killer! I think I will be feeling this tomorrow.

P90x Chest and Back 03/01 - German Potato Soup??

Shilleen and I have noticed there are some interesting/funny one-liners in these videos. Some of them are cheesy, but they give us something to talk about and take our mind off the pain. We will try to post a daily workout quote for the rest of the workouts

As for the workout - feeling a bit stronger and am able to do a couple more reps on the exercises (ok, not all the exercises and maybe just one more rep... but that is progress!). Here's the proof:

P90x: Legs and Back - Week 2: Day 05 - Starting to "bonk"

This one was tough - I was feeling a bit low in the energy and tired, or as the p90xers call it "bonking". Shilleen informed me that I may need to add a carb to my meal plan. I'm grateful she understands that part of the program; I think it's the hardest part of P90x. What to eat, when to eat, and how much of what... that's way too much thinking for me. I'm much better at just eating what's put in front of me :)

Week 2: Day 1 - Chest and Back

We were eager to get back to our workout today after a day off. We both felt a bit weak, but made it through. It really helps to have a partner to workout with - especially a wife who will tell you what she really thinks and helps push through when you want to call it a day :)

Here is our latest work - enjoy!

P90x Week 1: Day 05 Legs and Back

This is an intense leg workout - especially if you add some weight. Some of the exercises feel like cardio - it moves quick. Pull ups are a bit easier (seem to be able to do more of them) than Chest and Back (see day 01) workout. The killer for me is Ab Ripper X - if I am ever going to be able to keep up with Tony, Adam, Audra, and Jason it is not going to be on a legs day! When the legs are dead tired Ab Ripper X performance suffers; the video speaks for itself:

Week 1: Day 1: Toss the Junk! , Chest, Back, and Ab Ripper X

Today,we did a lot of measurements:

Body fat % measured with calipers.
I'm (Shilleen) 35% fat. Yes, I can feel every % of my body fat and I'm ready for it to shred off. I have been like this for four years since the birth of my first child (and since then I've had another baby and I am the same). I've exercised but I know for a fact that my portion control isn't the best. It looks like a realistic goal in decreasing body fat % is 1/2 to 1 percent per month..So, for me, I could drop down between 32-33.5. okay, okay, I will accept this fact. It looks like little by little, the fat will go away. Check out my entry of Calipers 101 I had surprising news.

Recorded our body measurements

Weighed ourselves: I've gained 5 pounds since christmas time. It is true the scale doesn't lie, I can feel it.

Calculated our P90X nutrition level. My nutrion level is level II...I'm a little nervous about that because that's a whopping 2400 calories minumum..I honestly don't think I have ever comsumed that much food in one day, but I will follow what the book says. It says try it and
adjust as needed.

Took pictures of our bodies (oh dear, the camera doesn't lie either).

It was Toss the Junk Day for us!! We will be starting the P90X Nutrition Plan tomorrow. Why? Check out the pictures... we had vasts amounts of turkey dinner leftovers and look at the scrumptious Almond Danish Puff. We wanted to make sure this yummy food was no where to be seen...so it's gone now and we're ready to fat shred our bodies...that's right for me GOOD-BYE dark chocolate (Shilleen's #1 weakness), and goodbye baking (mostly brownies which I probably bake once or twice a month in a 9x13 pan, cookies on occasion) . It's a sad time because I love to bake but I needed a good reason to stop. I have perfected my brownies to the point that it is impossible to stop eating them...I've been baking bread for the last two months and love it because we all know that homemade bread is so much better than bread from the store. Having said all this, I'm ready to BRING IT! I can do something else like sewing instead of baking right?

Good-bye Almond Danish Pastry!

Good-bye Carbs....Well at least for the Fat Shredder Phase.

We welcome the fat to shred off our bodies, pretty please?

P90X Phase I: Fat Shredder: Meal Plan Approach...we want to see if these recipes included in the P90X nutrition plan are any good so we'll try them for a week, and let you know. We'll take pictures and rate them.

Last the workout: Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X

Feeling strong today, sweating like crazy. It was good...of course my divebombers I'm hoping will improve. They are definitely the hardest. My goal is to be able to do 10 divebombers and to do 3 pullups without the chair, and be able to do the whole Ab Ripper X without taking breaks.