Posts tagged insanity
P90X – Week 1 Results
0Whew! What a week! I’ve made it through the first week of P90X and am doing just fine. Pretty sore on Day 7, but X Stretch took care of most of that. The cycle begins again tomorrow, on Thanksgiving, no less. But I’m not taking any days off, so I plan to Bring It before gobbling down on some turkey, which I plan to simply call “protein.”
In the past seven days, I logged seven workouts, 8 hours and 21 minutes, and burned 5,791 calories.
P90X – Day 4 – Yoga X – Comments
0Note: Workout took place on 11/20/2011.
I thought that I had done this routine before (before officially starting P90X), but it turns out I had previously done X Stretch. The first comment that comes to mind about Yoga X is that it is a LONG routine. I think too long. 1 hour and 32 minutes of poses and stretches. Now, I am not at all suggesting it’s not worth it. It is. I was sweating buckets during much of the routine. But some of the stuff just gets tired and boring after you’ve done your seven hundredth downward dog. My guess is that X Stretch could easily substitute for Yoga X if you don’t have all day to lie around in crazy poses.
You know something, though? There must be something to the schedule, and including Yoga X in the mix, because I have not suffered from severe muscle soreness at all. Sure, I’m pretty sore, but I expected it to be much worse. I am not planning on nixing Yoga X, at least not now. I am already seeing results in the first week, so I’m staying the course for the time being.
Polar FT60 Readings:
Duration: 01:32:16
Zone 3: 00:00:17
Zone 2: 00:23:27
Zone 1: 00:51:22
Average Heart Rate: 110
Maximum Heart Rate: 160
Total Calories: 730
Fat Calories: 29%
P90X – Day 3 – Shoulders & Arms + Ab Ripper X – Comments
0Note: Workout took place on 11/19/2011
I was surprised to see that the soreness I had felt after Day 1 (Chest & Back) had subsided. I thought for certain I would be feeling the pain two days after the workout, as this has been the story of my entire life. I actually felt pretty good going into this workout.
One thing I quickly discovered, as countless others have discovered, is the fact that a quick-change dumbbell solution was going to be mandatory. I am using a set of dumbbells with spinning collars and they simply are not going to work out (no pun intended). After considerable research and a couple trial runs, I believe I’ll go with Powerblocks. They seem like they’ll be easier to use than Bowflex’s Selecttechs, thanks to Powerblocks’ shorter length. I’m going to get a sweet deal on them the day after Thanksgiving so, until then, I’ll stick with switching plates for a couple more days.
Anyway, for whatever reason, I’ve always liked shoulder workouts and this one is no exception. It’s a lot of fun and nothing too goofy as far as movements are concerned. Pretty straightforward stuff. I especially liked the Deep Swimmers Presses, combining a classic curl and overhead press in one continuous movement.
Finished with Ab Ripper X. The scissor kicks are BRUTAL. Ab Ripper X is a great alternative to INSANITY’s Cardio Abs routine. Both are awesome.
Polar FT60 Readings:
Duration: 01:16:37
Zone 3: 00:01:49
Zone 2: 00:34:28
Zone 1: 00:39:15
Average Heart Rate: 127
Maximum Heart Rate: 164
Total Calories: 870
Fat Calories: 21%
P90X – Day 2
0Just wrapped up P90X Day 2 – Plyometrics. I now know for sure that it isn’t nearly as intense as even the first month of INSANITY. Some of the moves are a little hokey (gap jump) and others are quite good and fun (Monster Truck Tires, Football Hero). But the pace is far slower than anything on INSANITY. Even still, my heart rate monitor says I torched 1007 calories, which is about 200-250 more than I usually do in INSANITY, obviously due to the extra 15 minutes in program length.
This has its upside, though: You can get through this workout without feeling discouraged or like you’re going to die! The downside is it’s a bit boring and you feel less accomplished than you do after an INSANITY workout. Of course, if you’ve never done an INSANITY workout, P90X Plyometrics is probably great for you. I can see that I will probably want to switch to the P90X/INSANITY Hybrid program before long. I’m going to crank through the first week or two and see how I feel before making the switch.
Polar FT60 Readings:
Duration: 1:00:11
Zone 3: 37:59
Zone 2: 13:59
Zone 1: 7:26
Average Heart Rate: 155
Maximum Heart Rate: 180
Total Calories: 1007
Fat Calories: 12%
P90X – Day 1
0So, I’ve spent the last month or so doing INSANITY in preparation for P90X. I just completed Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X yesterday. Usually, after weight training style exercises, my muscles ache most TWO days after the workout. NOT THIS TIME. Man, I am SORE this morning!
Today, I will be jumping (literally) into some P90X Plyometrics for Day 2. I’m curious to see how it stacks up, intensity-wise, with the INSANITY workouts I’m accustomed to. We’ll see in a couple hours.
Taking a vacation to start P90X is allowing me 2 full weeks of focus before going back to the work grind and seeking ways to integrate P90X into my everyday routine.
Prepping for P90X has served me well. Thanks to INSANITY, I’ve gone from 212 pounds to 196 on P90X Day 1.
Did I mention I’m sore?
INSANITY – DAY 16
0Note: Originally written November 1, 2011
I ordered P90X a couple weeks ago and have been checking out the program and getting ready to Bring It in the next month. Right now, I’m currently on Day 16 of INSANITY (Plyo Cardio Circuit). Until last week, I pretty much just popped a disc in here and there and didn’t adhere to the program directly.
Once I committed to take on P90X, I got more serious. I got a new heart rate monitor, committed to healthier eating and a never-say-die approach to my workouts. I even supplemented my INSANITY workouts with stationary bike and stretching work in the evenings with my wife to log some time in the lower heart rate zones.
To add some incentive, I purchased some new shoes (Reebok Zigtech Trainers), a 3/4″ foam workout mat (so my wife doesn’t kill me for sweating buckets on the carpet), a hand blender, body fat calipers, etc.
If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that I didn’t take before pictures when I started dabbling with INSANITY. Since I began, I’ve gone from 212 pounds to 198 and I haven’t even started P90X!
At this point, I am unsure whether I will go ahead and finish the entire INSANITY program before diving into P90X or if I’ll jump in after Phase 1 of INSANITY. We’ll see…
